Investigating the Audience Week 7 Before we even begin to evaluate who attended the theatre at any one given moment in history, we must first recognise the fact that the individual attends a performance with certain expectations, values and prejudices that have already been determined. Also, we must acknowledge the fact that a diverse collection of people constitutes an audience, so in fact we are analysing the history of audiences. Gurr, A. Playgoing in Shakespeare’s …showed first 75 words of 1932 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1932 total…is value in knowing how the physical conditions and socio-economic background of the playgoers affected the performance of a period, but how we historicise about individual expectations and attitudes is limited as we are unable to understand the state of mind and changing interpretations of a performance. Overall, what is the purpose in studying any historical account of theatre audiences when most historians only seek to generalise and ironically understand more? Does anyone really care?