Audience agency

Definition

Audience agency refers to the capacity of an audience to actively participate in, interpret, and influence performance experiences rather than being passive consumers. This concept highlights the dynamic relationship between performers and spectators, emphasizing that audiences can shape narratives, challenge norms, and engage with performances on multiple levels.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Audience agency is often seen in storytelling and oral traditions where listeners contribute their interpretations and experiences.
2. In discussions of race and ethnicity in performance, audience agency allows for diverse perspectives that can challenge stereotypes and promote understanding.
3. Digital storytelling has transformed audience agency by enabling viewers to create, share, and remix narratives, expanding their role from passive observers to active creators.
4. The ethical considerations in performance research include recognizing the agency of audiences and ensuring their voices are respected and represented.
5. Performance as social critique often relies on audience agency to provoke thought, inspire action, and foster dialogue about societal issues.

Review Questions

• How does audience agency impact the effectiveness of storytelling in oral traditions?
  • Audience agency enhances storytelling in oral traditions by allowing listeners to actively engage with the narrative, share personal experiences, and interpret the story in their own ways. This interaction creates a communal experience where the audience contributes to the meaning-making process. Such participation can deepen emotional connections and ensure that stories resonate with diverse audiences.
• In what ways can audience agency influence performances that address race and ethnicity?
  • Audience agency plays a crucial role in performances addressing race and ethnicity as it empowers spectators to critically engage with the material presented. By sharing their perspectives and reactions, audiences can challenge representations and stereotypes portrayed on stage. This interaction can lead to meaningful discussions about identity, culture, and systemic issues within society, fostering a more nuanced understanding among both performers and audiences.
• Evaluate how digital storytelling reshapes audience agency and its implications for contemporary performance art.
  • Digital storytelling significantly reshapes audience agency by transforming viewers into active participants who can influence narrative outcomes through their interactions. This shift allows for greater creativity and personal expression as audiences can create and share their versions of stories. In contemporary performance art, this interactive aspect encourages collaborative relationships between artists and spectators, leading to new forms of expression that reflect collective experiences while challenging traditional boundaries of authorship.

Related terms

Participatory Performance: A type of performance that invites audience members to engage directly, blurring the lines between performer and spectator.

Interactivity: The degree to which an audience can influence the content or direction of a performance through their responses or actions.

Spectatorship: The act of watching a performance, which involves interpretation, emotional engagement, and the potential for active involvement.