Theatre Education Professor and Team Research Collaborative Productions

Associate Professor of Theatre Education Beth Murray, with Associate Professor of Psychology Lori Van Wallendael and Jeanmarie Higgins of Penn State University, have been conducting research for the “Second Story Project,” a unique collaboration between Children’s Theatre of Charlotte and Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte. This research, funded by the Reemprise Fund through the Foundation for the Carolinas, has been an integral part of the project, which involves the joint commission and presentation of two new interconnected plays by playwright Steven Dietz. The two productions were presented in overlapping runs in March and April: The Ghost of Splinter Cove at Children’s Theatre and The Great Beyond at Actor’s Theatre.

“So often when research is associated with a funded arts project the aim is program evaluation rather than project curation and genuine inquiry,” says Dr. Murray. “The Second Story Project has been about fostering risk and innovation, so the research team has set about using mixed methods to capture and describe the nature of that risk and – most importantly – audience and stakeholder perspectives on the productions, the process, and the possibilities.”

Three UNC Charlotte theatre students, Gracie Mincey, Myrti Tipton, and Isabel Gonzalez, served as research assistants during the show runs.

The co-productions were covered prominently in local media and were also the subject of an article in American Theatre, a publication of Theatre Communications Group.