UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI Date:___________________ I, _________________________________________________________, hereby submit this work as part of the requirements for the degree of: in: It is entitled: This work and its defense approved by: Chair: _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ Humor in the Life of a Musical Theatre Production: A Catalyst to Reduced Stress and Enhanced Performance By Patricia E. Friel M.A., Speech and Communication Arts, University of Cincinnati, December 1979 B.A., Speech and Communication Arts and French Language and Literature, University of Cincinnati, June 1978 A dissertation submitted to the Division of Research and Advanced Studies of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education (Ed.D) Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Kenneth Martin Department of Curriculum and Instruction University of Cincinnati College of Education November, 2004 ABSTRACT Based on an ethnographic exploration of social psychological phenomena within the context of a musical theatre production at a Midwestern University, humor was found to play an integral part in the lives of actors/performers, directors, and stage managers. Major themes that surfaced concentrated on the role of humor in helping student actors/performers (a) cope with situational factors related to stress, tensions, and performance anxieties and/or (b) engage productively in the development of acting, singing, and/or dancing roles for public presentation. Specifically, off-stage roles involving humor and play were emphasized as well as how such roles helped or hindered on-stage performances. Results indicated that production humor was the product of several factors. The infrastructure of the context supported various undulating patterns of humor usage and stress according to (a) the structures and processes involved in the production, (b) who engaged in humor and how, and (c) the ways in which humor contrasted with seriousness. In addition, a close look at the interior spaces of the theatre context revealed (a) numerous factors that contributed to stress and anxieties among participants and (b) various factors that contributed to confidence and role development. Overall, humor was found to be a catalyst to reduced stress and enhanced performance. Humor increased in both high and low stress situations: for example, to boost confidence, to socialize participants, to mediate moods and emotions, to stimulate creativity and spontaneity, and to underscore elements of theatre, play, and performance through ritual and superstition. However, humor desisted in situations that involved both high and low stress: for example, when stress and seriousness reached high levels due to situational variants, humor desisted in the production context, but increased in off-stage social contexts; on the other hand, humor desisted in low stress situations, such as when the goals of participants demanded concentration for success, when task functions took priority, when tasks were complex, and/or when sub-cultural norms required it. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Education is a lifelong journey encompassing many years, many teachers, many subjects, and many lessons. My educational pursuits have been mentally, emotionally, and spiritually gratifying and enriching for me, so much so that they possess a hallowed place in my life. Based on the contributions of many teachers, I am confident that I will continue to reap the benefits of life-long learning in the years ahead. I am deeply indebted to my very first teachers, my parents, for instilling in me a deep respect for the liberating and democratizing functions of education. I also am indebted to many teachers along the way, including some from my developmental years who I have been in communication since my youth. Moreover, it undoubtedly is fitting to thank many faculty members and administrators at the University of Cincinnati (UC) who have contributed meaningfully to my education and my career as an educator at UC Clermont College. UC, as my alma mater, holds a special place in my heart academically and professionally. In addition, various teachers and students through New York University contributed to this degree program as part of my participation in two summer programs in Educational Theatre in Greenwich and London, England. Thank you to all those teachers from different stages of my journey that I have admired. Their love for teaching and learning has been contagious. Of course, any expression of thanks would be incomplete without acknowledging the members of my doctoral and dissertation committees. I have a deep sense of gratitude and respect for each of these UC professors. They are some of the finest human beings I have ever known as well as among the most knowledgeable and talented. I could not have asked for a better group of colleagues from diverse, yet interrelated disciplines to guide my interdisciplinary doctoral program in Communication/Social Psychology and Educational Theatre in Adult and Higher Education. Ken Martin, my Chair, and Chet Laine are from the College of Education’s Curriculum and Instruction Department; Annette Hemmings is from the College of Education’s Educational Foundations Department; Michael Burnham is from the College-Conservatory of Music’s Drama Department; David Lundgren is from Arts and Sciences’ Sociology and Psychology Departments; and Michael Porte is from Arts and Sciences’ Communication iii Department. Together these individuals are shining examples constituting the constellation of disciplines that have developed and guided my interests throughout my adult years. Finally, a special thank you to Patty Allen from the Dean’s Office at the UC College of Education for transcribing numerous audiotapes for this study from participant interviews. Thank you too to both external coders for this study plus various librarians at UC and UC Clermont for helping me with my literature reviews. Additionally, I wish to thank many other family members, friends, and colleagues at UC for guiding, supporting, and/or motivating me to this end. Though I have chosen a path traveled by few, I believe that I am the richer for my travels. My educational experiences have instilled in me many valuable lessons, not the least of which include how to locate answers to questions—my own as well as those of others—plus how to locate and continually generate meaningful questions. Furthermore, I have learned that all attainments in life take many hands and minds and hearts. In fact, this dissertation is the product of those who have come before me and who by virtue of their own discoveries have afforded me the opportunity to see a bit farther and wider. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii TABLE OF CONTENTS v Chapter 1 – INTRODUCTION 1 Problem 1 Rationale 6 Role of Stress, Tensions and/or Anxieties 6 Role of Humor 9 Literature Review 11 Stress and/or Anxieties 11 Definitions and Foundations of Play 21 Performance and Role Playing 25 Foundations of Humor, Smiling, and Laughter 33 Definitions of Humorous, Fun-Of, Fun, Funny, and Amusing Phenomena 34 Stress and Humor 40 Criticism, Competition, Conflicts, and Humor 43 Socializing and Humor 47 Moods, Emotions, and Humor 56 Creativity, Spontaneity, and Humor 59 Rituals, Superstitions, and Humor 62 Communication, Learning, and Humor 66 Conclusions 71 Chapter 2 – METHODOLOGY 74 Conceptual and Theoretical Framework 74 v Research Design 76 Research Participants and Sites 81 Research Data Analysis 87 Entering and Exiting the Research Sites 94 Self-Reflective Analysis of the Research Process 98 Sample Bias 103 Conclusions 105 Chapter 3 – FINDINGS 107 The Infrastructure: Rehearsal and Production Structures and Processes 108 Auditions 108 Casting 114 Rehearsals 115 Performances 150 Reflections on Structures and Process 160 The Infrastructure: Who Engaged in Humor and How? 169 Overall Characteristics of Who Used Humor and How 170 Physical Humor 172 Verbal Humor 187 Dangerous Humor 203 Musical Underscoring 204 The Infrastructure: Humorous Versus Serious 205 Theatre As Both Serious and Humorous, Hard Work and Fun 206 Serious On Stage Roles As The Product of Humorous Off Stage Relationships 210 Individual Influences On and Preferences for Seriousness vi Versus Humor 212 The Interior Spaces: What Contributed to Stress, Tensions, and/or Anxieties? 216 The Experience of Stress, Tensions, and/or Anxieties 217 Individual Differences 227 Elements of the Production Process 239 Criticisms, Competition, and/or Conflicts 249 The Interior Spaces: What Role Did Humor Play in Helping to Cope with Stress, Tensions, and/or Anxieties? 264 Confidence or Esteem Boosters 265 Socializing 272 Regulation of Moods and Emotions 286 Release of Creativity and Spontaneity 294 Solace Through Rituals and Superstitions 299 Conclusions 306 Chapter 4 – DISCUSSION 308 The Infrastructure: Rehearsal and Production Structures and Processes 308 Auditions 309 Casting 314 Rehearsals 317 Performances 339 Reflections on Directors 342 The Infrastructure: Who Engaged in Humor and How? 344 Overall Characteristics of Who Used Humor and How 344 Physical Humor 351 vii Verbal Humor 366 Dangerous Humor 374 Musical Underscoring 376 The Infrastructure: Humorous Versus Serious 376 Theatre As Both Serious and Humorous, Hard Work and Fun 376 Serious On Stage Roles As The Product of Humorous Off Stage Relationships 380 Individual Influences On and Preferences