Developing a Research Question

Moving into Project 2, I'm excited to find more controversial areas in my field of study. In this post, I will share some research questions that I have created.

Robeson, Clay. "Un-Scripted Theater Company." 9/26/15 via wikipedia. 

• CC BY-SA 3.0

Theater always has the chance to reflect and provide commentary on social, political, and moral landscapes, so there will always be opportunity for debate. The Book of Mormon, a Broadway smash hit, has garnered both criticism and praise for satirizing the LDS church. This show has people wondering what topics are appropriate to poke fun at and make money off of. In the realm of performance safety, Spiderman: Turn off the Dark contained aerial sequences that caused harm to several performers. Many were left questioning the line between spectacular performance and personal safety. These controversies, and many others, have led me with the following research questions.

• Are there any social, political, or moral lines that theater can not/ should not cross? If there are, who determines these lines? What purpose do they serve?

• If there is questionable safety in an aspect of a performance, should production staff still work to have it in the performance? When does personal safety become more important than the production as a whole?  What are the roles of unions in this sphere?

• What is the future of live theater in the digital age? Is there a specific reason that live theater should be preserved? What can be done to ensure interest and save this aspect of performing?

• Should ticket prices be lowered so that it is more accessible for lower income individuals to see the performances? What would be the impact of lower ticket prices on the quality of a performance?

I am interested in answering these questions because they explore an aspect of theater that a performer does not usually concern themselves with. In reality, these inner workings of the industry have more influence on the production than anything else. More exploration in these topics will address my concerns about the viability and moral workings of my craft.