Founded in 1994 by Artistic Directors Michele de la Reza and Peter Kope, Attack Theatre combines modern dance, original live music, multimedia and interdisciplinary art forms with “ninja-like intensity” (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) to present work in traditional and non-traditional spaces throughout the United States and around the world. The theatre is Pittsburgh’s largest contemporary dance company and has produced over 200 contemporary dance based productions in theatrical and site-specific settings. Whether in theaters, street-corners, or in the classroom, Attack Theatre’s programs create a personalized connection between artist, audience, and environment with the core philosophy that movement is an essential part of life and learning.

The Challenge

“We aren’t a theatre company with a typical ‘season.’ We were having trouble explaining the large swings in our earned to contributed income ratio over time, especially as it related to the number of people served and projects managed in any given year. DataArts reports allowed us to effectively communicate the reason why our income shifts so dramatically each year,” said Rebecca Himberger, Executive Director, Attack Theatre.

How DataArts Helps

Attack Theatre uses DataArts' data to support funding requests, strengthen program proposals, and make a more persuasive case for its work. The organization includes specific DataArts reports and CDP data in the materials regularly presented to its Board of Directors. Attack uses these data for planning, committee work, and internal meetings.

DataArts, in a Word

“Transformative. As a result of data-informed decision making, we’ve seen great results from funders and in our local community. Plus, our administrative and artistic staff values data and its role within the organization. The company dancers and teaching artists play a part in capturing audience data, especially when it comes to the hundreds of arts education and community engagement programs we conduct annually."

Read the full case study.