Evaluation of the Daytime and Family Festival Programme
We led a longitudinal evaluation of the Daytime and Family Festival Programme
The Royal Opera House (ROH) Learning and Participation team launched its new Daytime and Family Festival Programme in late September 2018 to open up the ROH and animate the new public spaces. The ambition was “to turn this house into a home” and bring the creativity of the stage into the public spaces, encouraging people of all ages to take part.
The aims of the Daytime and Family Festival Programme are to
- Welcome new and existing audiences of all ages to the ROH
- Open up the world of Opera and ballet
- Inspire creative responses with a mix of pop up performance (watching and listening) and participation (taking part)
We evaluated programmes and festivals including:
- Ballet Dots
- Opera Dots
- Family Pride
- Fabulous Creatures
- Beat Out That Rhythm
- Paul Hamlyn Christmas Treat
Paul Hamlyn Christmas Treat
For the Paul Hamlyn Christmas Treat 2019, the ROH Learning and Participation team worked together with Girl guiding UK to bring Girl Guides, Brownies, Rangers and their families to Covent Garden, to experience the ROH through a morning of performances and crafts. This target audience was specifically chosen with the aim of widening participation. For many it was their first visit to experience ballet or opera. The event offered opportunities to meet with ROH staff from departments across the House and was followed by a matinee performance of The Sleeping Beauty. The audience consisted of around 2000 children (7+), young people and their adults.
Our team assessed the quality of the experience and its impact on families. Our focus was to be on the creative content and the visitor experience. We explored three pillar questions within the wider context of six key learning and participation values. We made recommendations to enable swift adaptations to future programmes.
Research tools used to collect and analyze qualitative and quantitative data included questionnaires, interviews, and observations. Questions were devised using The Generic Learning Outcomes (GLOs). GLOs are underpinned by a broad definition of learning which identifies benefits that people gain from interacting with arts and cultural organisations.
During Phase I, we produced six interim reports and one end of year evaluation report. Phase II was postponed due to the impact of Covid-19.
