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SHAPE THE FUTURE OF THE ROH HELP US BETTER UNDERSTAND OUR AUDIENCES

San Perregrino
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San Perregrino

San Perregrino

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7 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

Could we have a link to the survey please?

 

sorry, i have no idea how to do that.  it came in an email from no-response@roh.org.uk and now i've completed it, clicking on the "Take Survey" button gives me an error message.

 

nb. i have emailed Mr Beard to ask him "Why???"

Edited by PeterS
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Tango Dancer

Tango Dancer

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1 hour ago, PeterS said:

this invitation landed in my inbox last night.  i like to oblige, so have just struggled through a questionnaire that made my toes curl.   it's 15 minutes of my life i will not get back.  what a load of codswallop. 

 

I started but decided it was asking too much personal information so I abandoned it.  

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bridiem

bridiem

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'Our aim is to survey the arts and culture tastes of the nation'. I'm sorry but that is a ridiculous statement and way beyond what the ROH can or should be doing (or aiming to do). There is endless information already available about the nation's 'tastes' and if the ROH is short of funds it should not be wasting them in this way. It should be focussing on putting on world class opera and ballet and promoting its productions as effectively and widely as possible. 

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capybara

capybara

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1 minute ago, Suffolkgal said:

Tick box. Gotta do the ‘engagement’ to get the public dosh! Pay a costly agency to devise the questions and collect the data. Done with so many agendas behind it I am guessing! 


Agree, but with what meaningful outcome?

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Guest

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I didn't get this survey, but fairly long after the event (2 weeks ago, I think), I received a survey regarding Like Water For Chocolate. At the point where it asked me, 'how relevant' did I think the production was, my toes really curled and I abandoned the whole silly exercise. 

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Sim

Sim

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18 hours ago, Darlex said:

I didn't get this survey, but fairly long after the event (2 weeks ago, I think), I received a survey regarding Like Water For Chocolate. At the point where it asked me, 'how relevant' did I think the production was, my toes really curled and I abandoned the whole silly exercise. 

I would have said 'relevant to what'?  And 'how relevant is it that a piece of art has to be relevant?'   How relevant is a Raphael or Bruegel painting to anything I experience? Not at all....but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate them just as beautiful art.  I just hope the RB isn't going to join the growing list of companies worried about making everything 'relevant' instead of allowing an audience to just have some beautiful, relaxing escapism (in the case of the 19th century classics, which are apparently not relevant.  Does that mean Shakespeare is not relevant? ).  I would have stopped there too, Darlex...or said something very rude!!  :)

 

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jmhopton

jmhopton

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3 hours ago, Sim said:

I would have said 'relevant to what'?  And 'how relevant is it that a piece of art has to be relevant?'   How relevant is a Raphael or Bruegel painting to anything I experience? Not at all....but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate them just as beautiful art.  I just hope the RB isn't going to join the growing list of companies worried about making everything 'relevant' instead of allowing an audience to just have some beautiful, relaxing escapism (in the case of the 19th century classics, which are apparently not relevant.  Does that mean Shakespeare is not relevant? ).  I would have stopped there too, Darlex...or said something very rude!!  :)

 

Wasn't there something reported here a while ago now that the Arts Council now values 'relevance' more than 'excellence'? I seem to remember reading something like this as it made me very angry and it still does! It's just if this attitude is true, or perceived to be true by organisations that depend on the Arts Council, it may explain about 'relevance' in the survey.

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Ian Macmillan

Ian Macmillan

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Regarding 'relevance' and the like, my objection to most surveys is that one is obliged to select one of a number of preset answers to questions - and I rarely find myself fitting-in nicely to any of them and am prevented from explaining why.  And that's usually why I abandon such surveys at an early stage.  

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bridiem

bridiem

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7 hours ago, Ian Macmillan said:

Regarding 'relevance' and the like, my objection to most surveys is that one is obliged to select one of a number of preset answers to questions - and I rarely find myself fitting-in nicely to any of them and am prevented from explaining why.  And that's usually why I abandon such surveys at an early stage.  

 

Exactly. And you know that the answers you give are going to be crudely interpreted and used to inform future statements and possibly action, so it's very disturbing.

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FLOSS

FLOSS

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I suspect that it's worse than that as the questions will almost certainly have been devised to give the organisation the answer it wants and has already prepared for. They know that they do not make mistakes and they already know that their new opera audience wants new productions and that it does not want to see old productions. Now how or why a newcomer to opera is going to be more concerned about seeing old productions than about seeing a wider range of repertory each season is quite beyond me but I feel pretty certain that the survey will simply endorse their current pricing  policies and their repertory decis.

 

Perhaps the ROH should stop talking about staging "world class opera" and actually stage some? As far as I am concerned the description "international opera house" means a theatre which, season after season, stages revivable productions and consistently gives opera performances of the highest musical and dramatic quality; demands all singers turn up for rehearsals and finds and makes its own stars. It does not  mean an opera house which stages gimmicky productions ; employs foreign singers regardless of their quality including those who take comprimario roles and occasionally hires  a couple of big names who are not necessarily required to turn up for rehearsals and are notorious for either failing to turn up at all or pull out half way through the rum. Given Kauffman's record of not turning up and apparently demanding a new production as part of the price of his appearances in Bow Street I would question whether it is worth hiring him at all. He is not in the same class as Alva,Aragall, Bergonzi, Bonelli,Carreeras, Collins, Craig, Domingo, Gedda, Kraus or Vickers to name but a few.Finding a few directors who can actually be bothered to read the libretto and see themselves as the servants of the librettist and composer who wrote the piece they are have been hired to stage rather than treating composer and librettist as the servants of the director, might help.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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maryrosesatonapin

maryrosesatonapin

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7 hours ago, FLOSS said:

Given Kauffman's record of not turning up and apparently demanding a new production as part of the price of his appearances in Bow Street I would question whether it is worth hiring him at all.

 

 

 

 

I must admit Kauffman did sing beautifully in Fidelio but I would generally rather spend my money supporting Welsh National Opera whose productions are usually very satisfying.

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JNC

JNC

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I also didn’t receive one! Maybe it’s a random selection or maybe they don’t think it’s worth bothering “regulars” or Friends - as they already have us committed? 
 

I don’t mind doing these surveys but often find companies never tell you what the feedback was, and how they are going to implement it. Which often screams of just ticking a box and burying it which is very wasteful. 
 

what would be more meaningful is perhaps focus groups of people, or even 10 minute telephone calls. It’s a time investment sure, but if they are serious about getting good data and they have to trawl through lots of comments (although I’m sure there is some snazzy software that identifies key words but that feels reductive). 
 

Ultimately though, ticket sales will speak for themselves. It’s maybe unfair on Mayerling and Pite to come first in the programme and during the current financial crisis, but then look how well the Diamonds bill and Nutcracker has sold. 

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Guest

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On 26/08/2022 at 07:34, bridiem said:

 

Exactly. And you know that the answers you give are going to be crudely interpreted and used to inform future statements and possibly action, so it's very disturbing.

And exactly my reason for giving up on the survey. 

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Peanut68

Peanut68

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I do hope that whomever decides & ‘books’ these trite & rather cringing ‘surveys’ read this forum…. Would tell them all they need to know without ridiculous PR/Consultant fees!!!


I somewhat naively like to think that then the powers that be at ROH & RBS would then mount better audience pleasing & thus better selling seasons & for goodness sakes sort out the complete joke of a website & terrible online booking systems!!

Edited by Peanut68
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Sim

Sim

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16 minutes ago, Peanut68 said:

Oh no…. Ballet-washing now too?? 
Surely the world can appreciate art for arts sake? When is art ever a true historical document? 

I agree….but sadly it’s not me you have to convince!!

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