Project Grant - Round 2
ACHF Arts Access ACHF Arts Education ACHF Cultural Heritage
Central Minnesota has a wealth of wonderful local theatre opportunities, but the outcome of this particular project is to introduce our audiences to a remarkable play written by an American literary legend, while be performed by a legendary Minnesota personality. Additionally, Pioneer Place has partnered with the Stearns History Museum to share in making this event more than just a production, but an experience. Through cross-promotions, on-site displays, and an event geared at bringing awareness to the Stearns History Museum, we intend to use this production as a catalyst to spread the word about our local resources - especially as they pertain to the Mississippi River - while entertaining our audiences with an amazing production. The outcomes will be measured on audience attendance, of course, but moreover measured on creating awareness regarding the Stearns History Museum and all it has to offer. Personnel from that organization will be on hand for each of the performances and will be given an area to share their information, add attendees to their mailing lists, and share general information regarding this incredible local museum. The success of this component of the event will be measured through increased attendance at the History Museum, amount of literature distributed, and the number of additions to their mailing and email lists throughout the run of the show. Finally, we will conduct a survey with our audiences to ask them how this experience fulfilled their expectations, what they learned through the production, and whether they think bringing shows like this to Central Minnesota are beneficial for raising awareness to our local resources as well as the entertainment value.There are a number of resources available to use in the evaluation process of this production. First, in regards to attendance, we have the technology in our box office software to identify the audience that participated through many demographics including age, income, and location. This data is important to evaluate whether or not we are reaching beyond our traditional season ticket base and reaching a wider audience. Secondly, a survey will be conducted on each performance night. This survey will gather other useful information regarding why people attended this particular production, did we meet their expectations, what was learned as a result of this theatre experience, and how has this outing increased their knowledge regarding our local resources, in particular, the Stearns History Museum. Finally, we will partner with the Stearns History Museum to ensure awareness of their programming is further enhanced as a result of this cross promotion.
Bringing Don Shelby's amazing one-person production of “Mark Twain: Life on The Mississippi” to Central Minnesota was nothing short of a spectacular experience. The outcomes were vast. The attendance is a great place to start. We originally had planned on producing three performances of this show, but due to overwhelming demand, we actually had to add a matinee performance on Saturday. We had originally thought that a good attendance for a January show like this would be 550 people, and in the end we put 730 total people in the seats. A remarkable feat. Secondly, our goal was to use this show as a catalyst for further discussions regarding the Mississippi River and its importance in Central Minnesota. We partnered with the Stearns History Museum to conduct an audience-interactive panel discussion following the performance where we invited four experts from the community, and Don Shelby himself, to discuss topics ranging from the economic impact of the Mississippi River on our City; the history of the River, and most importantly, the future of our River. This round table was very well attended and although we had slated one hour for the talkback, we had to cut it off at nearly two hours and it could have gone on for hours. Third, we used this show to bring in exhibit photographs from the Stearns History Museum that demonstrated some of the early development, logging, and transport of the Mississippi River as seen through the eyes of early photographers. This lobby exhibit helped set the mood for our patrons as they entered the theatre. Finally, the goodwill that was received and the new audience members we achieved surpassed our expectations dramatically. The demographics of the audience ranging from 10-90 years old, which made for magnificent discussions and educational opportunities.
Other, local or private