COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AUDIENCE ENGINEERING IN THE UNIVERSITIES OF UYO AND CALABAR

Project Abstract

Audience engineering is a crucial aspect of effective communication and marketing strategies in higher education institutions. This research project aims to conduct a comparative analysis of audience engineering practices in the universities of Uyo and Calabar in Nigeria. The study seeks to explore how these two universities engage with their respective audiences, including prospective students, current students, alumni, and the general public. The research will employ a mixed-methods approach, combining interviews, surveys, and content analysis to gather data on the audience engineering strategies employed by the universities of Uyo and Calabar. Interviews will be conducted with key stakeholders, including marketing and communication professionals, academic staff, and students, to gain insights into the audience engagement practices at each institution. Surveys will be distributed to students, alumni, and members of the public to gather feedback on their perceptions of the universities' communication efforts. Content analysis will be used to examine the universities' official websites, social media profiles, and marketing materials to identify the key messages and strategies used to engage with different audience groups. The research will also analyze the tone, language, and visual elements employed in these communication channels to assess their effectiveness in reaching and resonating with the target audiences. The findings of this study will provide valuable insights into the current audience engineering practices in the universities of Uyo and Calabar and identify areas for improvement. By comparing the strategies employed by these two institutions, the research aims to highlight best practices and lessons learned that can be applied to enhance audience engagement in higher education settings. Ultimately, the research project seeks to contribute to the growing body of knowledge on audience engineering in higher education and provide practical recommendations for university administrators and communication professionals. By understanding how universities in Uyo and Calabar are currently engaging with their audiences, institutions can develop more effective communication strategies that resonate with their stakeholders and support their overall goals and objectives.

Project Overview

<p>It has, perhaps, not been realized that theatre audience anywhere in the world constitute a dominant force in the theatre hierarchy. A theatrical performance becomes “lifeless” without the breath of the audience members owing to their role of involvement. Brecht understood this and so sought for an alternative mode of dramaturgy that “instructs questions, provokes redefinitions that arouse new thought, and is, therefore, truly agitational” (54)<br><br>Indeed, it is of the nature of the theatre, during its performances, to jolt its audience from its anaesthesia and prepare them for action. Adedeji rates it thus:<br><br>The medium of theatre engages a person in a positive discovery and expression of itself… whatever feeling, meaning and spirit that is created in the theatre, is usually shared with the audience members who will have an opportunity to experience it (20).<br><br>Towards achieving this feat, this study considers two issues. The first is what constitute theatre audiences and what it is to build audiences; and the second, how far this could go in keeping them in shift formal sense as audiences in view of the fact that theatre requires audiences all the time vis-a-vis the administration of audiences who have come to the theatre to engage with new ideas while being entertained.<br><br>Being assumed that Nigerian educational theatres are capable of building audiences, however, keeping it becomes a different matter. On the other hand, the fall in theatre audiences perhaps because the theatre cannot keep or sustain it explains the long journey of lesser patronage of theatrical performances. In this connection, Nwamuo’s assertion that the theatre is<br><br>…. a demonstration (imitation) of any action by anyone as a group of people at a particular place and moment in time, with or without makeup, costumes rehearsals or improvisation before an audience gathered for interest to share and celebrate… (40).<br><br>by its content, scope and methodologies realizes that the audience is the better half of the theatre enterprise, seeks to woo them to come “savour” the performance, know how to retain them for the future via making them comfortable, cater for their needs and ensure their safety while on the premises.<br><br>Hence, the idea of planning, organizing, directing and controlling the audience members and their interaction in order to attain the predetermined objectives of having a full house, guaranteeing satisfaction and maximum profit is influenced by engineering the audience members in a patterned way as orchestrated by the management of the theatre. This, Nwamuo considers as;<br><br>…the skillful instruction, the contriving and devising of a means of getting intended audience to see what they have to see, in an organized, comfortably safe and pleasurable environment so they can continue to patronize the organization’s programmes (10).<br><br>Audience engineering practice in the modern day educational theatre is highly competitive and advanced in nature. It comes with it, the “art” and “science” woven around different techniques to tackle its compelling, demanding and gruesome nature.<br><br>To this end, this study undertakes a comparative study of the University of Calabar Chinua Achebe Theatre and the University of Uyo Little Play House audience engineering approaches during their production seasons.<br><br> <br><br>1.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM<br><br>Without good and effective approaches in managing the audience that “invade” the theatre especially, in the Nigerian Universities, there is every tendency that the theatre will one day experience a “zero turn-out”. This is especially true when one considers the fact that patronage for live performances, no matter how elaborate the performance, have not been encouraging taking cognizance of other elements of entertainment prevalent in the society. This forestalls the assumption that the theatre though capable of building audiences; lacks the “grace” to keep and maintain it hence, the fall in theatre audience experienced by theatre organization.<br><br>It is however, the believe of this researcher that theatre audiences especially that of educational theatres, can be improved upon if effective audience engineering strategies are adopted.<br><br> <br><br>1.2 JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY<br><br>Since audience engineering incorporates the scientific and skillful designing, organizing and implementing of an action plan aimed at winning large audiences to a theatrical event using the art and science of human management, the nature of the study aims to analyze through a comparative study, the approaches of engineering the audience members that visit the University of Uyo Little Play House and its Calabar counterpart, The Chinua Achebe Arts Theatre, with emphasis centered on how they “work”. This work therefore proposes that other theatres in Nigeria (educational or commercial) should adopt the “Idea” of audiences engineering used by these theatres as presented by this work.<br><br> <br><br>1.3 SCOPE OF THE STUDY<br><br>This study shall focus on how the two theatres (under study) have bee<br></p>