Ashton Eleazer

Professor Lithgow ENGL 105i

October 29, 2015

Feeder 3.2 Draft

Theater with a Message

Hello my name is Ashton Eleazer and I am journalism and dramatic arts double

major. My project is titled “Theater with a Message.” The idea I want to pitch to you

today is about the importance of theater in communicating social justice. Probir Guha

award winning widely acclaimed theater director and playwright in India says, "Theatre

is one of the most effective form of art capable of sending a particular message to society.

It is a way of communicating things which cannot be expressed in words.” We all know

that film can engage in social issues. Many of you have heard of the Hunting Grounds as

it is partially based on UNC. But many people look to theater as just a means of

entertainment. Well there are also tons of socially active shows as well that entertain and

educate. Disgraced being a great example as it was performed at Playmakers this fall and

is the most produced show of the year. My research question is whether theater can

communicate more effectively than film. The social justice issue I want to tackle is

gender norms in heterosexual relationships and the stereotypes that perpetrate inequality.

I want to create a short film, and then use the same script in a play with the same message

and interview audience member to see what they took away from each experience.

My timeline would be to start writing a script in May, which should be finished in

2-3 weeks. I will also start advertising the free showing dates in July. This may seem

implausible, but I was selected for a special summer program called Governor’s School
for theater and we wrote and produced a piece in two weeks. After writing a script I will

recruit actors from my large amount of friends involved in theater. From my experience it

will not be challenging to find actors without payment as we are all usually looking for

more resume builders and the opportunity to perform. In June I will produce a short film

and produce a play with the same script, which would take around three to four weeks. In

July before the performance begins I will select eight audience members from both the

show and the screening and ask about how they originally feel regarding the issue of

gender inequality. After the production a week later I will call the same people and do a

follow up interview to see if their perceptions have changed or stayed the same. I will ask

them about their feelings toward gender inequality at that point. While it is hard to

measure an whether an audience member received the message more effectively based on

feelings I am also going to ask if they are willing to be an activist for gender equality or

any next steps they may take toward fighting the issue. That will help me grasp and

compare the answers of those who view the film verses the play. I will then compile the

interviews and report my connections in a blog that I will share with everyone who went

to the shows along with the Chapel Hill area. I will also post the short film and a filming

of the production that of course will not exactly convey it’s effectiveness, but can give a

gist of the project and show how the same script is used differently. I hope to present my

findings at the celebration of undergraduate research as well as through Lab! Which is an

experimental theater group on campus that may be interested in my research.

I recognize I will have to get IRB approval for this research considering I am

interviewing people about social issues that could be offensive to some.

 I am in a performance studies communication class and have been involved in all

aspect of theater through the span of my lifetime thus far.

In “Setting the Stage for Social Change” researchers involved in communication,

theater and psychology departments worked together to compare a control play to one

about abusive relationships to provide evidence for theater being a tool for social change.

They explain that live theater is an effective means of communication as the experience

itself is arousing and it is emotionally engaging with the audience. Theater has indeed

boosted past revolutions and can help influence social injustice today except for the fact it

has become a dying art form in conflict with film being the priority of popular culture.

This project is important because perhaps theater can be revitalized if I can help prove

that it is a better method for communication for social change than film and maybe I can

boost attendance in local shows and theater can come back into popular circulation as it

can be utilized in new ways.

 Bibliography

Allen, Kirsten Frantzich. "Theater of the Psyche: The Emergence of Embodied Theater
Ecology and the stage as Home(be)coming." Dissertation Abstracts
International 76. (2015). PsycINFO. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.
Allen’s main claim is that theater affects the minds of audience members through
her study of the production of “She Myth.” It merits inclusion because I am
similarly curious about how a performance can affect the minds of audience
members.
Barz, Ellynor. "Psychodrama Grounded In The Perspective Of Analytical
Psychology." Jung and Moreno: Essays on the theatre of human nature. 25-42.
New York, NY, US: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group, 2014. PsycINFO. Web.
8 Nov. 2015.
Psychodrama is a form of therapy in which patients act out events from their past.
Barz’s main claim is that by decreasing emphasis on the events it benefits the
internal processes of mind. It merits inclusion because it is a study about how
theater can influence someone’s internal way of looking at a subject similarly to
how I want to change the way people look at a topic.
Bose, Susweta. "Theatre, Communication & Development." Global Media Journal:
Indian Edition 4.2 (2013): 1-5. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 8
Nov. 2015.
Bose claims that theater has developed over time as an important mode of
communication. It merits inclusion because I am discussing the importance of
theater as a communication asset in my research.
Brook, Peter. The Empty Space. New York: Atheneum, 1968. Print.
Peter Brook argues that any space that a person fills can become a theatrical space
because theater is based on connection between the audience and actors. He
further explains that theater can be broken up into four different forms: holy,
deadly, rough and intermediate. Holy theater is the form that takes on the abstract
concepts of human nature and has a deeper meaning. Rough theater is closer to
the truth and reality of life and underlying desires in our subconscious that are
often uncomfortable to talk about. Deadly theater is the type Brook mainly deems
commercial theater, as it is very strict in creativity and structure. Intermediate
theater is the connection between what is happening on stage and the reactions of
the audience members based on their own experiences in life. Brook graduated
from Oxford and created his own theater company The Torch. He has directed for
numerous companies including the Royal Shakespeare Company. In comparison
with other sources he is somewhat bias, but also extremely knowledgeable on the
topic from his vast amount of experience. He provides a new perspective on
theater that is unique to him and tries to explain the complexities of audience
actor interaction and the different consequences of such. This source explains the
connections between audience members and actors more clearly. He also explains
the intimacy found in theater that is removed from film, which supports my
research question.
Cotsell, Michael. The Theater of Trauma : American Modernist Drama and the
Psychological Struggle for the American Mind, 1900-1930. New York: Peter
Lang, 2005. Print.
Cotsell writes this book to prove that dissociationism rather than psychoanalytic
notions influenced modernist drama and he claims that once psychoanalytic
theory overtook dissociationist psychology modern playwriting began it’s down
fall. This merits inclusion because it connects the rise of a psychological theory to
the downfall of modern playwriting and theater and I want to talk about how it is
important to revitalize theater despite this downfall.
Dill-Shackleford, Karen E., et al. "Setting The Stage For Social Change: Using Live
Theater To Dispel Myths About Intimate Partner Violence." Journal Of Health
Communication 20.8 (2015): 969-976. PsycINFO. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.
In this article about research conducted concerning theater as a tool for social
change, Dill-Shackleford claims to prove that live theater can increase
understanding about partner violence. Dill-Shackleford is in the Department of
Psychology at Fielding Graduate University and worked with several other
authors in relative departments of communication and theatre. This article relates
to other sources as it incorporates communication in correlation with theatre, but
it is a stronger source as Dill-Shackleford actually conducted research on the
topic. This journal article is also readable by a broad audience. The research
provides insight to how I could possibly set up aspects of my research as mine is
quite similar, but comparing film to theater instead of proving theater as a means
for social change by comparing two plays one with a social agenda and one
without.
Donoho, Bette Halperin. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education: Scrap
Mettle SOUL: Learning to Create Social Change at the Intersection of
Differences through Community Performance Theater. John Wiley & Sons Inc,
2005. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.
Donoho claims that community performance theater can increase experimental
learning. It merits inclusion because I am trying to explain how theater can create
bonds within it’s many different players (actors and audience members) so that
the audience learns something about the world from their experience and it
influences their thoughts.
Hamilton, Clayton. "The Psychology of Theatre Audiences." Theory of the Theatre: And
Other Principles of Dramatic Criticism. Henry Holt, 1910. 30-68. Print.
Hamilton claims that theater audiences are different than any other kind of crowd
because theater is an art made to please a crowd rather than please the artists
themself. It merits inclusion because it explains how theater is different that other
forms of art in its attempt to appeal to audiences to draw connections which are
important aspects I want to look into.
"Theatre a most Effective Form of Art, Says Guha." The Pioneer. Jan 19
2010. ProQuest.  Web. 8 Nov. 2015.
Guha claims that theater is the most effective form of art because of it’s ability to
communicate without words. It merits inclusion because Guha has written and
directed in more than 70 plays for social causes and communicates these issues to
 rural-urban audiences, his work is similar to what I would love to do on a smaller
scale in my research and prove why this work is necessary.
Woodruff, Paul. The Necessity of Theater: The Art of Watching and Being Watched.
Oxford University Press, 2008-09-01. Oxford Scholarship Online. 2008-05-01.
Date Accessed 8 Nov. 2015 
Woodruff claims that theater is necessary to human life as a means of
communication as the audience and actors connect through emotion that
stimulates wisdom. It merits inclusion because I am also trying to prove the
importance of theater as a means of communication and expand upon the theories
he has himself.