When Qualitative Research Meets Theater : The Complexities of Performed Ethnography and Research-Informed Theater Project Design

Abstract

In this article, we describe three areas of design that need to be considered when conceptualizing a performed ethnography/research-informed theater project in the field of education: research design, aesthetic design, and pedagogical design. We present 30 questions that performed ethnographers and research-informed theater artists might ask ourselves when we conceptualize our projects. We then provide a discussion of four recent projects that engage with the questions presented and conclude by arguing that (a) research design and aesthetic design interact with and feed into each other and (b) research and aesthetic decisions impact the pedagogical work our projects do.