My passion and interest in Verbatim theatre and ethnodrama have encouraged me to research this topic even further in my dissertation project. My point of inquiry begins here with this question:

 

Can the theatre, and specifically verbatim theatre, be used as a tool to provide a space for difficult conversations and voices that aren’t being heard?

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There is a major disconnect between police officers and civilians in NYC and throughout the US. Civilians are often taught at a young age to honor and respect cops, but is this respect reciprocal? Over the past decade, things seem to be getting worse—police officers are shooting civilians, particularly those of color, at an alarming rate.  In response to a brief, preliminary survey that I conducted, civilians unfortunately noted that they fear police officers and don’t feel “protected or served.” They use words such as “aggressive, forceful, arrogant” when asked to describe law enforcement.  What do police officers have to say for themselves regarding this public opinion?  What would happen if civilians were able to hear directly from the source what it’s like to be a police officer?

 

“Thin Blue Line” is an arts-based research project that utilizes in-depth interviews from approximately 20-30 police officers in NYC. The interviews will be transcribed, coded, and analyzed though a Critical Race Theory lens and ultimately turned into a full-length, live ethnodrama. Once the script is created, multiple artistic elements will be added such as music, audio recordings, set design, and multimedia installations. I am focused on recognizing that theatre must not only communicate the human condition, but it must also entertain. Johnny Saldaña (2011), warns that plays are not journal articles and that researchers need to “stop thinking like social scientist[s] and start thinking like... artist[s]” (p. 209). The danger of ethnotheatre lies in presenting qualitative data in a way that ignores the theatrical aesthetics needed to affect the audience. My hope is to balance ethical considerations with artistic ones in all aspects of the creative process.

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The purpose of this project is to disrupt (or confirm!) any preconceived notions of police officers and provide an artistic outlet in which police officers can share their stories.  It will also explore why police officers feel they are essential, what they truly think about racial disparities in arrests and shootings, and how the past has shaped the training and work in the field.  I hope to bring this completed script into high schools around NYC and cast teenagers to play the parts and speak the words of the police officers.  It is my hope that this live piece of theatre can help bridge feuding communities and implement social awareness on the everyday lives of police officers, particularly police officers of color. 

 

An ethnodrama is an insightful and engaging way to share stories of human condition.  Norman K. Denzin (1997) a leader in performance ethnography maintains that “those who write culture using reflexive interviews are learning to use language in a way that brings people together. These texts do more than move audiences to tears. They criticize the world the way it is and offer suggestions about how it could be different.” This form of verbatim theatre is a perfect way to present this data—the audience will be able to access human truths of these police officers and hear their honest responses and stories.  Pre-conceived notions of the everyday lives of police officers will be provoked, disrupted, or uncovered and the intended audience is asked to be more critical of what they are hearing when the text is spoken and performed from a different body.  With over 15-years experience creating, directing, and making art, I am a firm believer that theatre can generate and encourage empathy. I also believe that in this case, theatre will be used as a tool to provide a space for conversations and voices that aren’t being heard today. As a former public school teacher in NYC, I have seen firsthand the way young people interact with the police and have witnessed the constant conflict between them.  Both teenagers and adult civilians, particularly those of color, do not trust police. And police feel misunderstood. This study is current, significant, provocative, and necessary. 

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I have attached below a rough draft of my outline for my Dissertation Proposal. I struggled with what topic to choose, and frankly, am still concerned about some of the positionality that comes along with this.  How can I, a white woman, adequately research and investigate the struggles and trials that people of color feel when dealing with the police force? Is this beyond my "place" or scope as an artist?