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Lynne Conner is professor of theater arts and chair of the Department of Theater at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.\\xa0She is a theater and dance historian, cultural policy theorist and playwright.\\xa0Lynne has written extensively on audience engagement and the creation of meaning in the arts, and has won numerous awards for her playwriting and directing.\\xa0Her most recent book is\\xa0Audience Engagement and the Role of Arts Talk in the Digital Era.\\xa0Lynne\\u2019s most recent play, THE MOTHER, is a 2018 Eugene O\\u2019Neill Theatre Center National Playwright\\u2019s Conference Semi-finalist.\\xa0Before joining the UNC Charlotte faculty in 2016, Lynne was professor and chair of the Theater and Dance Department at Colby College.\\xa0She earned a B.A. in English Literature from Oberlin College, an M.A. in Theatre Arts from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and a Ph.D. in Theatre History and Performance Studies from the University of Pittsburgh.\\xa0

This episode is perfect for anyone interested in audience engagement, the history of audience behavior, meaning making, theater, and interpretation of the arts.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Lynne describes her work as a\\xa0cultural historian,\\xa0playwright and professor.
• She talks about applying\\xa0the history of the arts\\xa0to the practice of the arts.
• She discusses the assertion that drives her scholarship.
• She defines the terms\\xa0social interpretation, arts experience and arts talk.
• Lynne explains\\xa0how audience behavior has changedover time.
• She provides\\xa0two reasons\\xa0why audience behavior has changed.
• She explains\\xa0the consequence of quieted audiences.
• She describes how the arts experience should be\\xa0more like sports.
• Lynne answers whether she would prefer\\xa0active audiences during performances.
• She addresses\\xa0Miles Davis\\xa0turning his back on the audience.
• She explains the difference between\\xa0linear and circular patterns of communication.
• She notes criticism of\\xa0white and black audience behavior.
• Lynne addresses whether any work of art\\xa0can be considered great\\xa0if audiences are not actively interpreting art.
• She considers whether the decline in\\xa0audience interpretation\\xa0makes art less meaningful.
• She shares\\xa0what arts organizations can do\\xa0to help audiences make meaning.
• She answers\\xa0what was defining about her childhood.
• Lynne explains\\xa0why she is attracted to theater\\xa0and how her scholarship evolved.
• She talks about\\xa0what meaning means.
• She connects\\xa0interpreting the arts\\xa0to interpreting the meaning of our lives.

plus Mark\'s Personal Word Essay: Making Meaning

To learn more, visit On Life and Meaning