performance_studies_expanding_superseding_theater

Performance Studies,
Expanding Theater Studies

         Diane Howard, Ph.D.

Presented at the National Educational Theatre Association Conference
Minneapolis, MN, Fall 03

Performance Studies is an international field that has been expanding and superseding theater studies at secondary to graduate educational levels. Fundamentally, this field involves inquiry, research, and investigation into how performance around the globe, on stage and off, promotes understanding of human action and interaction. It is diverse in its approach but unified in its emphasis of empathy and insight into human communication and empowerment for the powerless, marginalized, and disenfranchised. It involves learning that is student-centered, constructivist, problem-solving, critical in thinking, inductive in approach, and empathetic. It, therefore, engenders in students an independent joy of discovery and love, excitement, and anticipation in learning.

Performance Studies is a sensible approach to theater or performance arts study at any level. It promotes and satisfies the current mandate for multi-cultural programming. It encourages others-centeredness. It is more cost-effective than theater arts programming, since it is not as dependent on theater facilities. It can meet the mandate for technology integration. Performance Studies is a broad, deep, comprehensive, and up-to-date approach to the study of performance. It is connected to studies in history, sociology, literature, multi-media, the arts, psychology, law, archeology, ethnic studies, museum studies and many other fields. As Shakespeare put it, "All the world is a stage." Performance studies involves studying performance of everyday life, creative dramatics, dramatic simulations, one-person performances, eclectic performances, multi-media performances and much more. Theater studies are part of performance studies, but performance studies is broader, deeper, and more comprehensive.

Performance Studies is a more practical approach as it can be used in many fields. It is fundamentally communication art. Performance Studies students study effective verbal and non-verbal communication. It is integrated with modern technologies It provides useful preparation for communicators, presenters, and performers. Performance Studies students are marketable as their training is broad, rich, comprehensive, and up-to-date. Performance Studies is humane and others-centered. Its promotes social equality. Often theater students perform for attention or to gain acclaim. Performance Studies artists are motivated by a sense of service and the desire to facilitate human empathy and harmony.

Performance Studies began in the 80's at the scholarly graduate level and has steadily expanded and superseded traditional theater studies around the world. Unlike traditional theater studies that are based on Western Civilization artistic history, Performance Studies is diverse and global in nature and spectrum. It is fundamentally communication art that assists in fostering understanding of human interactions. It involves and includes a wide range of pedagogy that is informed by the diverse contributions of performance studies writers, academics, researchers, and scholars.

Performance Studies takes a broad-spectrum approach to the study of performance as communication art. It provides studies of performance that look at interpretive, analytic, compositional, and design principles across communication and performing arts disciplines. This interdisciplinary, dynamic, empathetic field is broad, deep, and multicultural but has at its heart student-centered, experiential, practical, project-based learning, and technology integration. At a time when best practice teaching and learning strategies are marked by these elements in the most effective, contemporary educational settings, the trademarks of this field of study make it especially relevant and on the cutting-edge.

The UMHB Performance Studies Major is a broad-based communication major made up of courses in communication, drama, and English. With this major students can choose a minor in mass communication (with studies in radio, television, film, and print journalism), drama, music, visual arts or other minors. The UMHB Performance Studies Division is involved with a network of regional, state, national, and international, on-site and distance, communication and performing arts organizations, networks, and facilities. Performance studies students have served as performers, presenters, and as project designers for Apple Learning Interchange; BellNet (see peer-mentoring/substance abuse reduction project); U.S. Army Equal Opportunity offices; Austin Singers; Austin, Texas Nafas Poetry Television Channel; Temple Independent School District; the Cultural Activities Center of Temple, TX .... Performance Studies Alumni are communication, marketing, advertising, pr specialists/talent; camp, youth, drama, music, ministry staff/talent; instructors, directors, producers, performers; audio-visual/media, radio/tv broadcasting, film staff/talent...

Performance studies students may perform in mainstage productions on or off campus. Students majoring in performance studies also have opportunities to intern with television or radio stations, pr/media offices, or with performing arts organizations. UMHB performance studies majors perform on stages, for radio and television, for professional videotapes, over videoconferencing to multiple sites at once, and via videostreaming over the internet. Each performance studies student writes, performs, and produces a solo production of a fascinating, historical figure. These pieces are performed onsite and/or via distance technologies. They are involved in creating and designing distance communication projects, which are serving the globe. Further, performance studies students are involved in performance research.

Performance studies faculty, students, and alumni are professionally involved in writing for professional publications and in presenting at professional conferences. They are actively involved with national and international cutting-edge leaders in performance studies work. They regularly participate in local, state, national, and international communication and performance studies conferences. Some of the goals of the UMHB Performance Studies program include producing scholars, researchers, artists, instructors, designers, presenters, and directors, who are highly marketable with a wide range of instructing, performing, communicating, directing, and producing skills. Regularly workshops in personal marketing are available for students and alumni. Regular e-mails about performance and employment opportunities are sent to performance studies students and alumni.

The UMHB Performance Studies Division in the Dept. of Communication and Dramatic Arts is a
founding member of Performance Studies International. PSi is a professional association founded in 1997
to promote communication and exchange among scholars and practitioners working in the field
of performance. We seek to create opportunities for dialogue among artists and academics in a variety
of disciplines whose concerns converge in the still-evolving areas of live art and performance. PSi
is actively committed to creating a membership base of artists and scholars from throughout the world. (PSi, 2000)

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