Thirty-plus years of empirical drama/theatre research

ABSTRACT

To review our field’s maturation over the past thirty-plus years, I trace research methodologies from the archives of the Youth Theatre Journal and its predecessor, the Children’s Theatre Review, with special attention to the overarching purposes of our research over time. After questioning postmodern debates over empirical methods, I interpret the tripartite structures of this empirically based research and call for future literature reviews of past evidence. While my self-reflexive examination reveals problematic assumptions regarding the consequences of our empirical research, I offer alternative perspectives and post-factual strategies for future research in this and other journals.