Before coming to college and joining the Honors program, research always seemed very daunting to me. Throughout high school and early college, research was always presented to me in an extremely academic fashion with difficult citations, charts, diagrams, and frequently contradicting viewpoints. Because it was presented in this way, I quickly became overwhelmed by the many books and computer tabs, and sticky notes. However, throughout my college experience, my research skills have developed tenfold, and my process is much less overwhelming now. While I’ve certainly developed my skills as a more traditional academic researcher, I’ve spent much more of my time learning how to synthesize visual, oral, and textual research in the context of creative activity.

            The most traditional research experience I’ve had was taking Honors Human Relations in a Multicultural Society during my freshman year of college. The final project for this class was to interview an immigrant to the United States about their experience with race in the United States. Working with a primary source of an interviewee was very interesting and inspired my research greatly, as well as altered my viewpoint on how research for directing and playwriting can and should be handled as well. Since theatre is made up of stories about people, real or imagined, they are all grounded in universal truths that are relatable to much of humanity. Interviewing someone who has experienced something firsthand as inspirational research would be invaluable for someone writing a play or directing a show about something they haven’t experienced themselves. The skills I learned from this interview process in developing protocol and allowing my future research to be inspired by the interviewee are ones I expect to continue using in the future. Following my interview for the Human Relations paper, I found lots of supplementary evidence to support the claims made by my interviewee. I became very comfortable with Google Scholar and academic search engines like library databases to find peer-reviewed sources. I also learned to enjoy the search and let the materials I found guide my next discoveries.

            With a major like theatre, however, not all research can be as effectively done through strictly academic and peer-reviewed sources, and research inspiration can come from anywhere! Theatrical research begins with script analysis, researching historical context, costumes, symbolism, and the playwright. Depending on the project, the themes and context can be very familiar and modern requiring less academic research in favor of calling more on the lived experiences of the team. When I designed the set for MSU’s 2023 touring children’s theatre production of Not All Heroes Wear Capes, written and directed by RJ Magee, much of my research was visual or based on lived experience. While designing this project, I was heavily inspired by comic book pop art from artists like Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, as well as everyday items. For modern everyday items like desks, I was able to just find desks that were similar to what I was envisioning and base my design around that, but for my stylistic inspiration, I looked to the Museum of Modern Art’s search engine and the Roy Lichtenstein foundation catalog. Both of these sites show photographic reproductions of original works that I used to guide my artistic process, along with the script.

            On the other hand, when I directed a scene from the David Ives translation of A Flea in Her Ear by George Feydeau in my Advanced Directing class, it required much more formal research. This play takes place in the Belle Époque era in France, which has an entirely different feel that modern America in speech, dress, and mannerisms. Additionally, it is a farce- a highly dramatic comedy that requires a stylized physical approach to help emphasize the humor. As such, I began with script analysis, then delved into research of the era and farce, integrating peer-reviewed sources, visual and audio sources, Google finds, as well as lived experiences of myself and the actors. A director must be able to communicate their concept and research to their design team and actors. My directing book for this project shows a portion of my supplemental research and script analysis, as well as everything else that goes into a directing scene like scenic, props, and technical needs, schedules, rehearsal reports, ground plans, blocking notation, personal rehearsal notes, and a reflection on my work as a director and my directing style.

            As someone who loves learning, I do research constantly. Whether it be more formal for a project or more leisure-based on a whim using Google, I’ve become confident in identifying solid research and using it to support or change my ideas about the world. In a society where information is more readily available than ever before, it has become even more important to know how to do effective research. Recognizing what is true in what is well-supported by evidence is critical to the continual growth of our society, and I expect to continue applying the critical thinking skills developed in my collegiate research experiences for years to come.