| dc.description.abstract | This paper is based on a case study of audience responses to the oratorio Plague
and the Moonflower. The oratorio was performed by the community of Armidale in
rural New South Wales, Australia. Through an examination of the qualitative data
collected, the paper shows how experiencing this performance engendered better
environmental attitudes and awareness in audience members and participants.
There is a lack of good case studies in the literature that explore how performance
and audience participation can change attitudes and intentions through emotional
and aesthetic communication. This article addresses that gap in the literature with
a novel case study and empirical work.
The implication of this case study is that amateur performers and audiences are not
passive in their experience of art, but are active participants in meaning-making.
The production provides evidence that the engagement of the senses and the
atmosphere and excitement of a performance that incorporates music and dance,
as well as visual and theatrical elements and poetry, can impact on people on a
deep emotional level. Furthermore, the rich emotional response that such an event
instils in participants and audience members indicates the important role that such
an event could play in building a sense of community. The production also
provides evidence that experiencing a performance such as this can engender
better environmental attitudes and awareness in audience members and
participants, as well as an enhanced intention to adopt pro-environmental
behaviour. This event provides support for the view that theatre and other forms of
drama can “excite change” when shaped, targeted and delivered in particular ways. | en_GB |
