How Former Student Actors Value Their Experiences In High School Plays

274 Pages·2013·2.46 MB·English

by  Michael Edgar Butterworth

Wayne State University
DigitalCommons@WayneState
Wayne State University Dissertations
1-1-2013
Remembering Thespis: How Former Student
Actors Value Their Experiences In High School
Plays
Michael Edgar Butterworth
Wayne State University,
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Recommended Citation
Butterworth, Michael Edgar, "Remembering Thespis: How Former Student Actors Value Their Experiences In High School Plays"
(2013).Wayne State University Dissertations.Paper 754.
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REMEMBERING THESPIS: HOW FORMER STUDENT ACTORS VALUE THEIR
EXPERIENCES IN HIGH SCHOOL PLAYS

by

MICHAEL EDGAR BUTTERWORTH

DISSERTATION
Submitted to the Graduate School
of Wayne State University,
Detroit, Michigan
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
2013
MAJOR: THEATRE
Approved by:
_______________________________________________
Advisor Date
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
DEDICATION
To my students—they have always been my best teachers.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to acknowledge all of the people who have made this research study
possible. My advisor, Dr. Mary Anderson, has given me sage guidance throughout the process.
She encouraged me to explore uncharted avenues and to experiment with different forms of
writing and research. All the while she held me to the highest standards and challenged me to do
the best work possible. I have learned and grown under her tutelage.
I am also grateful to the following: Dr. James Thomas, for his indomitable wisdom; Dr.
Mary Cooney, for her gentle guidance; and Dr. Michael Barbour, for his insights. My parents,
Fred and Ritajean Butterworth, have always asked the right questions; my brothers, Fredde, Dan,
Jeff, and Tom, also peppered me with questions that gave me valuable ideas. I am grateful to
Melissa Masnik Pasanen, Rita Spiess Black, Jane Rockhold, and Doug McFalls, without whom
there would be no chapter 3. Thanks also to Ruben Van Kempen, Michael Tatlock, Patricia
Costa Kim, Christine Roberts, John Overmier, Dr. Ann C. Wright, Matt Foss, Greg Bailey,
Aaron Westlake, Jennifer Goff, Kassy Skoretz, and Julia Moriarty.
And finally, special thanks to Scott Smithson, whose love and support have made the
whole process worth it.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dedication __________________________________________________________________ ii
Acknowledgments ____________________________________________________________ iii
List of Figures ______________________________________________________________ viii
List of Tables ________________________________________________________________ ix
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ____________________________________________ 1
Chapter Outline _____________________________________________________________ 8
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ____________________________________ 15
Introduction _______________________________________________________________ 15
Historic Backgrounds: “The Charm of Well-Bred Men” ____________________________ 18
Contemporary Techniques and Practices in Theatre Education _______________________ 21
Creative Dramatics_______________________________________________________ 23
Drama-in-Education and Process Drama ______________________________________ 25
Applied Theatre _________________________________________________________ 26
Formal Theatre ____________________________________________________________ 28
Pedagogy of the School Play _________________________________________________ 31
Adolescent Learning and Development in Authentic Settings: Three Studies ____________ 41
Summary of Literature Review ________________________________________________ 47
CHAPTER THREE: “WHAT I AM TO BE…”: A HEURISTIC INQUIRY __________ 50
Remembering a Moment on Stage: West Side Story 1981 ___________________________ 50
Heuristic Inquiry: Remembering as Research ____________________________________ 54
Social Development in a Culture of Caring: Remembering Baba Yaga ________________ 62
Emotional Development: Remembering DramaFest _______________________________ 69
Magic and Aesthetic Development: Remembering My Death in Brigadoon _____________ 76
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Personal Development: Remembering Who I Am Becoming ________________________ 86
CHAPTER FOUR: METHODOLOGY AND METHODS _________________________ 96
Introduction _______________________________________________________________ 96
Qualitative Case Study ______________________________________________________ 97
The Former Student Actors ___________________________________________________ 99
The Setting ______________________________________________________________ 100
Data Collection Methods ___________________________________________________ 101
Data Management and Analysis Methods ______________________________________ 103
Reliability and Validity _____________________________________________________ 108
Generalizability ________________________________________________________ 112
Subjectivity ___________________________________________________________ 113
CHAPTER FIVE: THE SETTING, THE CONTEXT, AND THE PARTICIPANTS __ 116
The Setting ______________________________________________________________ 117
The Context ______________________________________________________________ 121
Two Stories and an Artifact _________________________________________________ 123
Of Kalidahs and Other Monsters ___________________________________________ 124
Roberto _______________________________________________________________ 128
A Story about Drama ____________________________________________________ 130
The Former Student Actors __________________________________________________ 135
Tim: Self-Avowed Theatre Geek ___________________________________________ 136
Liz: The Troublemaker __________________________________________________ 141
Jeremy: The Dreamer ____________________________________________________ 146
Dallas: The Joker _______________________________________________________ 150
Annie: Hollywood Bound ________________________________________________ 154
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Rosie: The Pragmatist ___________________________________________________ 158
CHAPTER SIX: WHAT’S THERE TO BE NOTICED: ANALYSIS OF THE DATA _ 163
Introduction ______________________________________________________________ 163
Personal Development _____________________________________________________ 165
Emotional Development (Woods) ____________________________________________ 170
Emotional Development (Larson and Brown) ___________________________________ 179
Teen Drama: The Angst of Youth ____________________________________________ 181
Auditions and Casting ___________________________________________________ 185
Lessons Learned________________________________________________________ 193
Social Development _______________________________________________________ 197
Awareness of Others and Leveling. _________________________________________ 201
Audience Awareness ____________________________________________________ 203
Aesthetic Development _____________________________________________________ 206
Conclusion to Chapter Six __________________________________________________ 214
CHAPTER SEVEN: THE VALUE OF THE SCHOOL PLAY _____________________ 215
The Value of the School Play ________________________________________________ 216
Other Lessons ____________________________________________________________ 218
What Remains: Remembering Thespis _________________________________________ 222
Role-Playing __________________________________________________________ 227
The Centrality of Affective Learning _______________________________________ 229
Narrative Memory ______________________________________________________ 231
Reflective Practice: A Conclusion ____________________________________________ 234
Appendix: Interview Schedule ________________________________________________ 241
References ________________________________________________________________ 243
vi
Abstract __________________________________________________________________ 262
Autobiographical Statement _________________________________________________ 264

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Jets Jacket. West Side Story. Author’s Collection. ___________________________ 52
Figure 2. Cast Picture, West Side Story, Roosevelt High School, 1981. Author’s Collection.__ 53
Figure 3. The Seal of the School. Author’s Collection. _______________________________ 62
Figure 4. My puppet stage and me, circa 1972. Author’s Collection. ____________________ 66
Figure 5. No, No, A Million Times No! Strenuous Life, Yearbook, 1981. _________________ 70
Figure 6. Brigadoon rehearsal. Strenuous Life, 1980. ________________________________ 81
Figure 7. The author as Harry Beaton, Brigadoon, 1980. Author’s Collection. _____________ 84
Figure 8. Ticket Stub. Li'l Abner. Author's Collection. _______________________________ 86
Figure 9. Service above Self Award. Author’s Collection. ____________________________ 92
Figure 10. Graduation Picture. Author’s Collection. _________________________________ 95

viii
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Participants _________________________________________________________ 100
Table 2. Little Theatre Productions _____________________________________________ 119
Table 3. Auditorium Productions _______________________________________________ 120

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