Theatre invasion Singapore : a campaign to help NTU undergraduates gain a better understanding of theatre in Singapore

Abstract

Theatre Invasion Singapore is a communication campaign targeted at undergraduate students from Nanyang Technological University aged 19 to 26. It was carried out as a pilot test to assess the effectiveness of strategies and tactics used to help students gain a better understanding of theatre in Singapore in hopes of increasing theatre attendance. This goal was derived from the findings we gathered through a research process. We found that theatre is an essential art form due to its numerous benefits to individuals and society. However, it was found that there was a falling rate in theatre attendance over the years. There was also a low awareness of arts event listing platforms and affordable options of theatre. Our target audience perceived theatre in Singapore to be expensive, exclusive and not relatable, which are misconceptions. As such, Theatre Invasion Singapore was conceptualised to raise awareness and improve perceptions through repositioning theatre as vibrant and energetic. The campaign employed digital and on-ground tactics such as a series of lecture invasions, informational posters on events listing platforms and promotions of current shows to keep students engaged. We evaluated the campaign by distributing surveys at three different stages to track changes in attitudes and knowledge. After our campaign, perceptions towards theatre improved more than 10% and their level of knowledge also increased more than 25 percentage points, thereby fulfilling our objectives. The learnings from this pilot test would later be used to recommend possible solutions to similar audience development challenges on a national scale.