Ethnodrama/Ethnotheatre

Ethnodrama and ethnotheatre are a few of the qualitative research methodologies available to researchers, artists, and educators to share the interpretations of their research data through performance. They are relatively new qualitative methodologies that emerged from the social science sphere, and each relies heavily on ethnography. The goal in creating and writing the ethnodrama (play script) is ethnotheatre (performance). Researchers write with data to produce reports, ethnodramatists write with data to produce performances. These methodologies offer researchers the ability to express their findings three-dimensionally and present a more complete picture of the participants and stories that defined their work, as it works to recreate and represent the research site. The ethnodramatist is faced with a plethora of decisions when embarking on an ethnodramatic project, and although, the choices are endless, there are two basic core structures to theatrical plays and therefore ethnodrama, the monologue and dialogue. Whether the goal is a reading for educational purposes or a live performance, ethnodrama and ethnotheatre offer valuable contributions to qualitative inquiry as they highlight community narratives. These narratives can help reinforce identity, enrich cultural awareness, and support new understandings. For artists, researchers, and educators, they offer a strong foundation to develop new research, new techniques, and original performances.