Drama and Theatre Studies (Theses)

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Voices from the classroom- an ethnographic case study of teachers' experiences and perspectives of drama and arts education in Irish primary schools
(2025-03-13) McEntee, Laura
Drama is a recognised subject in the Irish primary school curriculum. Whilst research has been conducted into drama education practices in Irish schools, little is known about teachers’ experiences and perceptions of drama education. The rationale for this research is to report on the current position of drama in the Irish primary classroom. This research further aims to report on teachers’ attitudes and experiences of drama in their classrooms. To achieve these aims, a case study with an ethnographic focus was conducted. One-to-one interviews were conducted with 15 Irish primary teachers, located in 15 different schools of a range of sizes, locations, and demographic compositions. Verbatim transcripts of the audio-recorded interviews were analysed in Nvivo 11 software using a comparative procedure. There are five emergent analytical categories: the importance of drama education in schools, the awareness and interest among teachers, the implementation of drama, the importance of drama on students’ learning and the development and impact of teachers’ backgrounds and past experiences. These categories are developed into the main themes of the research which are compared and discussed in relation to the significance of drama, being a supporter of drama, making drama happen, and drama for living and learning. Findings associated with these themes are used to develop recommendations for the enhancement of drama education. Within the context of curricular redevelopment at primary level in Ireland and taking into account the positive changes taking place in the broader arts and education ecosystem as a result of increased systemic focus and investment in creativity initiatives, drama needs to hold a new position in our schools. The predominant outcome of this research in addressing extant difficulties with drama in Irish primary schools it to make the case for a transdisciplinary model for drama in schools - a living model of drama - which values all dramatic engagement, particularly that which leads to rich modes of learning and engagement both within and beyond the curricular structures.
"A form to accommodate the mess": a genetic (self-)translation study of Samuel Beckett’s dramatic writing
(2023-10-02) O'Neill, Shane
This thesis analyses the manuscripts of Samuel Beckett’s self-translated dramatic texts in order to better understand how an author recaptures the cadences, originality and political implications of his earlier versions in translation. Samuel Beckett self-translated his writing between French and English and vice-versa. Beckett’s work in self-translation serves as a unique case study in how a text is rewritten into another language by a translator who is also the author of the original version of this text. Previous studies of Beckett’s work have focused on comparing his finished, published texts. By examining manuscripts of the translation, patterns of translation emerge. Richard Seaver claims that ‘Beckett’s work is close to poetry’. Beckett wants to ensure that his self-translation ‘performs in your head’ just as well as, if not better than, the original. I will demonstrate that Beckett effectively rewrites a text as he translates it. At the beginning, he strives to capture the literal meanings. He then refines the language and the rhythms of the translation as the text nears completion. My project not only examines Beckett’s efforts to recapture the musicality of his ‘original’ texts in self-translation. It also explores the ways in which the political resonances of the ‘original’ texts are preserved, emphasised or indeed excised in the translations. My thesis strives to will demonstrate the way in which the self-translating author can, in the words of Pascale Casanova, ‘achieve literary freedom by retaining control over the form of their writing’, or in Beckett’s words, find a ‘form to accommodate the mess’.
Re:membrance of Absence Disrupting perceptions of Jewish and minority identity in Ireland through theatre
(2021-03-30) Wylde, Aideen
This research examines social, historical and theoretical reasons that have contributed to the noticeable omission of minority voices, specifically Jewish voices, from Irish theatre narratives to date. The creation of the play Here Shall We Rest (HSWR) was the practical culmination of this investigation. Testimonials from eight participants around their experience as either Irish-Jewish or Jewish and resident in Ireland form the foundational material for the play text of HSWR. The qualitative research methodology employed here combines elements of ethnography and auto-ethnography, practice research and narrative enquiry. As a direct result of the work undertaken, I propose an early iteration of a new methodology for making theatre on minority culture: Third Voice Theatre. Inspired by S. Anksy’s Yiddish play Der Dibuk, HSWR follows the journey of a supernatural character through a liminal landscape inhabited by various narratives expressed in the fieldwork interviews I conducted. These stories expose complexities around Jewish identity, whether self-expressed or socially imposed. The play draws on my experience of perceptions of Jewish culture in Ireland as expressed by some non-Jews, and as non-Jewish myself. The play also seeks to address some of the misconceptions about Jewish heritage and incidences of antisemitisim in Ireland through social and historical lenses. Creating a piece of theatre on this subject allowed me to reimagine negative representations of Jewish characters in Irish theatre. This processes also enabled me to question the reasons why there remains a dearth of Jewish and minority voices in Irish theatre. The presentation of Jewish voices on the Irish stage remains a largely unresearched area as this thesis demonstrates. Examining the influencing factors that contribute to the omission of minority voices from the Irish canon in a practice research capacity is my original contribution to the field of theatre performance studies. By addressing the issues identified in relation to Jewish identity I aspire to expand this and similar conversations to include other ethnic minorities. The overall aim of this work is the disruption of hegemonic narratives of cultural and national Self in Irish theatre narratives.
Performing the fractured puppet self : employing auto-ethnopuppetry to portray and challenge cultural and personal constructions of the disabled body
(Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, 2018) Fisher, Emma C.
This research project examines personal and cultural constructs of the disabled body, with the creation of the puppet play Pupa as its practical culmination. The testimonials of six participants (including my own), all from artists with a disability or deaf artists, are the inspiration for Pupa. The qualitative research methodology used within this research combines ethnographic methods, auto-ethnography, practice-based research and narrative enquiry. I have adapted auto-ethnography by combining it with puppetry to coin new methodologies; ‘ethnopuppetry’ and ‘auto-ethnopuppetry’. Inspired by fairytales, Pupa creates a fantastical world where the narratives of the participants find expression through a range of puppet characters. These testimonies examine what it is to identify with a disabled identity, and to ‘come out’ as disabled. It looks at how we perceive ourselves as disabled, and how we feel others perceive us. Creating a piece of theatre based around disabled identity led me to investigate the history of disabled performers, and historical depictions of disabled characters within theatre, fairytales and freak-shows, in order to see how they influence societal beliefs around disability today. Within the practice element of this research, I experimented with unconventionally constructed puppets, as well as puppeteering my own disabled limb with an exo-skeleton, in order to question how I view disability in my own body. This research tracks my changing perceptions of my body. It charts my journey from viewing my disabled arm as an object, to seeing the exo-skeleton as an additional arm by incorporating it into my body schema, to then accepting my disabled arm as part of my body again. The research participants become the composer, actor, songwriter, and choreographers of Pupa, and their stories are at the forefront of this research. I situate my practice-based research among other contemporary puppet theatre performances which centre around the disabled voice. The research reveals that disabled artists have only begun to puppeteer their own stories in the last few years, and that this area remains largely under-researched. By tracing the journey of my disability within this piece of theatre; from able-bodied, to ‘abelist’, to claiming my identities, and finally ‘coming out’ as disabled, I aspire to bring to light and through so doing, to subvert ableist perceptions of the disabled body.

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