Parktheater Eindhoven asked for something they could not buy off a shelf. A way to hear what visitors actually carry home from a performance, without handing them a five-point form they will not fill in. Their multi-year plan, Meer dan jij..., is about understanding what theatre does to people after the last applause.
We answered with a rotary phone in the foyer. A radar in the pedestal notices when a visitor lingers and rings the phone. They pick up. They talk to P.I.M. in Dutch, for a minute or so, no more than four questions. Next to the phone, a 1967 Philips CRT shows a short anonymised summary of the call as soon as the handset goes down.
For 26 days in January, 613 visitors picked up. Average call: 1:19. Zero moderation incidents across the whole run.
