“Breaking in”: The politics behind participation in theater

Most occupational science research has focused on the effect of occupational engagement on the individual, leaving many group and community level processes unaddressed. The purpose of this ethnographic study is to explore the process of participation and to identify the factors that inhibit or support participation and community formation in theater groups. Through observation and open‐ended interviews with group members of a campus theater group, six themes were identified that influenced the participatory process: organizational and group hierarchy, group dynamics, competition, power struggles, director as gatekeeper, and addictive power of participation. The six components acted as barriers to entering or leaving the theater group. These themes were grouped under the overarching metaphor of politics, a term introduced by one of the participants. The results have implications for understanding other group‐based occupations and may help to explain how people become participants in desired occupational communities and how such communities develop.

Key Words:

• Occupation
• Community
• Barriers