The Intrinsic Impact Project

In 2010, with the generous support from many national and local funders, Theatre Bay Area commissioned noted research firm WolfBrown to conduct a nationwide study on the intrinsic impact of a live theatre performance. The goal of the study was to refine our understanding of how to measure and talk about the intellectual, emotional, social and empathetic effect of art on an individual using standard metrics and a common vocabulary.

General Information
The Intrinsic Impact project was launched last September with three major aspirations: to transform the way the field measures the success of its art, to transform the way the field talks about art's meaning, and to continually improve the quality of artistic work. It was launched with two major objectives: to create a generally accepted and widely used metric to quantify the intrinsic value of the theatre experience and to encourage a common vocabulary to describe that metric.

This work centers on the five indices of intrinsic impact: captivation, intellectual stimulation, emotional resonance, aesthetic enrichment and social bridging and bonding. Focusing solely on a single discipline, this intrinsic impact work includes eighteen participating theatre companies representing six metropolitan areas (San Francisco Bay Area, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC). Ongoing surveying is being done during three productions at each participating company over the course of the 10/11 season.

In this work, Theatre Bay Area, in addition to main collaborator WolfBrown, is happy to be partnering with local service organizations in each study region: LA Stage Alliance, A.R.T./New York, Arts Midwest, the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia and Washington, DC's Helen Hayes Awards.

For more information, or if you're interested in having your company get involved in the next phase of Intrinsic Impact, please email Clayton Lord. 

The Intrinsic Impact project, commissioned from WolfBrown by Theatre Bay Area, is generously supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, the San Francisco Arts Commission Cultural Equity Grants, the City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs, the California Theatre Network via the California Arts Commission, Theatre Development Fund, A.R.T./New York, Arts Midwest, the LA Stage Alliance, the Helen Hayes Awards and the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia.