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We closed our winter play, “The Man Who Came to Dinner,” this weekend, and a great student asked me if I thought the show was good. This was my directorial debut in this new school, and I am incredibly proud of how this cast came together. Of course, my immediate reaction was, “Yes!”  But then later, I started thinking, how do you measure the success of theatre? (And cue all musical nerds singing “How do you measure, measure a year?”)

I feel that there are so many tick boxes that we can use: Did we make our money back? Did we get good reviews?  Were there high ticket sales? How many awards were we nominated for or received?

Then again, does the definition of success change with your role in the production?

As an educator, I think, “a hit is when the students had a meaningful experience they are proud of.”  

As an audience member, I think, “a hit is something that touches your soul, makes you happy, makes you think, makes you want to sing, sometimes makes you sad but stays with you and if you can afford it you will go back and want to see the show over and over again (never getting bored).”

As a producer, I think, “a hit is when people are lining up for tickets, and when tickets are selling out for the performances.”

As a director, I think, “a hit is when the audience has a truly profound experience.”

After reflecting on the many ways I define a “hit” when I wear my various hats, I wondered how do my students define a “hit”?

Many students seemed to be fixated on the number of audience members per show. "We only had 200 people in our audience, which means weren't a success." If I could insert the scratching sound of a record player being cut off, I would. Ultimately, I don't produce or teach theatre to have big audiences, and I don't want my students measuring their success by the number of butts in seats. I teach theatre because I want to have an inclusive environment where students are safe to take risks, can learn how to be empathetic team players, and hone their craft. A place where, at heart, students can learn to take pride in themselves and their abilities.

In an attempt to change the dialogue on how we measure the success of our show, I started a new tradition called the praise board.  At company meeting before every show, company members write down all the great things they hear about the show.  We covered my classrooms white board on the front and back, and it was a great way to visualise that their hard work has paid off.  

Before our last show on Sunday afternoon, I asked the cast: "In ten years, what will you remember about this experience?" Many answered the cast unity, the hilariousness of the show, the audience laughing...After some discussion, it was decided that it isn't the script's one-liners or the cast's crazy inside jokes they will remember, but the feeling of happiness and community they had while producing this show is what they will remember ten years from now.

And I realised that no matter which hat I am wearing, this is how I want to measure success.