The Cambridge Guide to Mixed Methods Research for Theatre and Performance Studies

We often know performance when we see it – but how should we investigate it? And how should we interpret what we find out? This book demonstrates why and how mixed methods research is necessary for investigating and explaining performance and advancing new critical agendas in cultural study. The wide range of aesthetic forms, cultural meanings, and social functions found in theatre and performance globally invites a corresponding variety of research approaches. The essays in this volume model reflective consideration of the means, processes, and choices for conducting performance research that is historical, ethnographic, aesthetic, or computational. An international set of contributors address what is meant by planning or designing a research project, doing research (locating and collecting primary sources or resources), and the ensuing work of interpreting and communicating insights. Providing illuminating and necessary guidance, this volume is an essential resource for scholars and students of theatre, performance, and dance.

Tracy C. Davis is Barber Professor of Performing Arts at Northwestern University. She has published over a hundred articles in arts, humanities, and social sciences journals; has edited and authored a dozen monographs on theatre history and historiography, the history of the book, and cultural studies; and has wide experience in editing book series and advising doctoral students.

Paul Rae is Professor of Theatre Studies and Head of the School of Culture and Communications at the University of Melbourne. He is the author of Theatre & Human Rights (2009) and Real Theatre (2019), and a former editor of the journal Theatre Research International. He researches and publishes widely on contemporary theatre and on the performance cultures of the Asia-Pacific region.