Matthew Reason is Professor of Theatre and Performance at York St John University, UK.Lynne Conner is Chair and Professor at the Department of Theatre at University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA.Katya Johanson is Professor of Audience Research at Deakin University, Australia.Ben Walmsley is Professor in Audience Engagement at University of Leeds, UK.

• The Paradox of AudiencesMatthew Reason, Lynne Conner, Katya Johanson and Ben WalmsleyPart One: Histories, Theories and Questions of Social JusticeIntroductionLynne Conner1. Ellen Dissanayake in Conversation Ellen Dissanayake and Lynne Conner2. Histories of Audiencing: On Evidence, Mythology and NostalgiaHelen Freshwater3. Disrupting the Audience as MonolithLynne Conner4. Who? Why? and How?: The Contribution of Sociology to the Study of Arts Audiences and Where it Needs HelpLaurie Hanquinet5. The Future of Audiences and AudiencingJennifer Novak Leonard6. Which Global? Which Local?: Aucitya, Rasa, Development, Ase and other Demands on the Audience Glenn Odom and Giri Raghunathan7. Forced Experiences: Shifting Modes of Audience Involvement in Immersive PerformancesDoris Kolesch and Theresa SchützPart Two: Policies, Politics and PracticesIntroductionBen Walmsley8. Alan Brown in ConversationAlan Brown and Emma McDowell 9. Are We the Baddies?: Audience Development, Cultural Policy and Ideological PrecaritySteven Hadley10. At what cost? Working Class Audiences and the Price of Culture Maria Barrett11. A ‘Universal Design’ for Audiences with Disabilities?Bree Hadley12. Fans and Fandom in the Performing ArtsKirsty Sedgman13. The Role of the Audience in Forum and Interactive Theatre: Perspectives from BangladeshMeghna Guhathakurta14. Audience Engagement and the Production of Efficacious Theatre: Case Studies from GhanaAwo Mana Asiedu15. Critical Perspectives on Valuing Culture: Tensions and Disconnections between Research, Policy and PracticeBen Walmsley and Julian MeyrickPart Three: Methods, Methodologies and Understanding AudiencesIntroductionMatthew Reason16. Martin Barker in Conversation Martin Barker and Matthew Reason17. Mixing Methods in Audience Research Practice: A multi-method(ological) discussionEmma McDowell18. Quantifying the Dance Spectacle in the Audience’s Mind: A Methodological Quest for Neuroscience ResearchCorinne Jola19. Continuous and Collective Measures of Real-Time Audience EngagementL.S. Merritt Millman, Guido Orgs and Daniel Richardson20. Audience Interaction: Approaches to Researching the Social Dynamics of Live AudiencesPatrick G.T. Healey, Matthew T. Harris and Michael F. Schober21. Quantitative Measures of Audience ExperienceWing Tung Au, Zhumeng Zuo and Paton Pak Chun Yam22. The Benefits and Challenges of Large-Scale Qualitative ResearchStephanie Pitts and Sarah Price23. Creative Methods and Audience Research: Affordances and Radical PotentialMatthew Reason24. Ethics in Audience Research: By the Book or on the Hop? Katya Johanson and Hilary GlowPart Four: Shorts: Adventures in Thinking About AudiencesIntroductionKatya Johanson25. AffectLucy Thornett26. AgencyAstrid Breel27. Co-CreationMichael Pinchbeck and Rachel Baynton28. Covid-19Tully Barnett29. DataRishi Coupland30. DialogueMaddy Costa31. Integrated and InclusiveVipavinee Artpradid32. LabourMartin Young33. LanguageMichelle Loh34. LaughterNatalie Diddams35. MarginaliaHelen Yung36. MemoryElaine Faull37. One-to-OneRachel Gomme38. PantomimeRobert Marsden39. Post-HumanityFayen D’Evie40. Post-ShowDiane Ragsdale41. RehearsalAnja Ali Haapala42. RelaxedLauren Hall and Paul Wilshaw43. RiskElla de Búrca44. SicknessVerónica Rodríguez45. ThresholdsStefania Donini46. TouchElena S.V. FlysAfterword: Covid-19, Audiences, and the Future of the Performing ArtsMatthew Reason, Lynne Conner, Katya Johanson and Ben Walmsley