6.) Are there any striking differences between the Van and Vic audiences?
Hard to say, not knowing the Vancouver audience as well, but I think there exists a classic small city/big city difference in that the Victoria community is smaller, and with our cabaret shows, the audience kind of embraces it as their own show, like they invented it, they take ownership as an audience because we’re kind of the only ones doing something like that. So our audience is mostly with us, they want us to succeed, because in their mind, we are them in a way, we are representing them. We are their artists and so they are curious about what we will do next. Not that they aren’t critical, but they are hungry for expression and explosiveness. The audience loyalty comes from them wanting to be at the show, not out of a love of theatre in general or a sense of responsibility. The young Victoria audience wants to be entertained and involved with the art. The small city isn’t as fame obsessed, they want a good night out. They’re like, so what, entertain me, and it’s a dynamic relationship. It’s a local audience, and there’s a lot of trust there, it keeps you honest. At its best, there is a dialogue happening, and we’re fighting a kind of complacency. There is a ‘cool’ factor that is perhaps more vicious in a larger city, everyone is looking for a kind of authentic experience. On the other hand, bigger cities have that crackling energy that feeds my brain.
Scott Walters