Theatre Performance, Resonance and Validity in Qualitative Research

Abstract

This paper draws on recently completed qualitative research in which I worked with older people who engaged with three cycles of community theatre. I use a personal narrative style to tell the story of my research journey at the start of a cyclical process of qualitative research. The research adopted a constructivist framework and took on some of the qualities of action research, particularly in later cycles. One outcome of the first theatre cycle was a one-person theatre performance which I have performed at various academic and community venues as a means of verifying some of the research findings. The paper refers to this performance and explores issues of validity and resonance that became apparent in this process.

The power relationship between the researcher and the researched changes in different forms of research. Action research seeks to minimize this power imbalance. Like action research, community theatre also seeks to enable participants in the decision-making process. This enablement may assist individuals and communities to grow and change. Both community theatre and some forms of qualitative research rely on intersubjectivity and the concept of resonance in the co-construction of respectively a theatre piece or new knowledge. In addition, community theatre seeks a resonance between performers and audience as part of the process of influencing change. When this performance aspect is woven into the fabric of research, the validity of the research is enhanced.

Keywords:

• Qualitative research
• Community Theatre
• Collaborative processes
• Power