PERFORMANCE AS RESEARCH PEER REVIEW PROCEDURE - GUIDELINES

presented by Alison Richards and Bill Dunstone to the Annual General Meeting of the Australasian Drama Studies Association, Perth, December 4 1993.

Preamble

From 1994, ADSA wishes to provide the possibility of a peer review process for members undertaking research by means of performance. Our aim here is to outline a set of draft guidelines for such a process, which should enable an evaluation of the outcome of research and its publication by means of a performance or performances to be granted the same status as a written publication in a refereed journal.

You will notice that in the course of making procedural suggestions, we have already taken a position on a number of epistemological issues associated with the activity of research by means of performance. The peer review process as outlined here is an interactive one, encouraging a self-reflexive stance on the part of both researcher and referee. It does not assume performance as a closed object, and it does not place the referee as an 'examiner' in a superior knowledge position. Neither does it assume semiotic or interpretive transparency - however, in acknowledging the polysemic nature, and the mediated character, of performance we do claim that a communicative exchange can be established of sufficient rigour and reliability to enable academic judgement to be exercised and professional standards assessed.

This service will not at this stage extend to the examination of theses that contain a performance component, although individual universities may wish to adapt some of the procedures outlined here, and are certainly at liberty to contact the ADSA Performance as Research Subcommittee for suggestions as to possible examiners.

Procedural Guidelines

A. The Researcher

1. Contact the ADSA Performance as Research Subcommittee. You should allow as much notice as possible, to allow for discussion of the project and the appointment of suitable referees.

2. Send to ADSA 6 copies of a research brief of no more than 10 pages, containing

a) A statement of the research question

b) the proposed methodology

c) any other background information relevant to the task of adequately assessing the research component of the performance - this might include information about the context, the participants, the performance tradition or style of performance, and

d) an interim bibliography (including audio or videotaped sources) highlighting those the referees might require to have considered in advance.

e) A draft timeline, giving the expected date(s) of the performance season and any alternative times.

f) The names of any referees you yourself might suggest as appropriate. Geographical as well as expertise factors should be taken into account, given that ADSA cannot guarantee to provide funds to subsidise the travel and other costs of referees.

3. Once referees have been approved, make time to have at least one telephone or face to face discussion with the nominated referees.

3. At the time of viewing, have available to the referees an update on the brief, or provide a pre-performance briefing outlining any changes or significant issues arising in the course of the rehearsal process that may affect the clarity of the research-related issues in performance.

4. If appropriate, please arrange for the video and/or audiotaping of the performance, for documentation purposes and to assist as an aide-memoire for the referees.

5. No later than three months after the performance, furnish ADSA with a report and notation of the performance event, together with a copy of the video/audio tape.

B. The Referees

1. On being approached by the researcher and/or contacted by the ADSA Performance as Research Subcommittee, referees should indicate notional willingness and availability.

2. Referees will be provided with copies of the research brief at least two weeks before the proposed performance, and are encouraged to contact the researcher to discuss any important theoretical or interpretive issues involved in the research performance.

3. Referees will be briefed by the researcher either verbally or through written notes prior to the viewing.

4. If referees are unable to physically attend the performance, a substitute procedure in the form of a video/audio record plus notes may be substituted with the agreement of all parties including the ADSA Performance as Research Subcommittee.

5. No later than two weeks following the performance session, referees should provide a report of no more than 4 pages (2,000 words) to ADSA giving their assessment of

a) the success with which, in the referee's opinion, the research process was realised by means of the performance.

b) the standard of the work as 'publication': whether or not in the referee's opinion it was of a satisfactory academic standard.

NB: Unless production considerations are specifically germane to the research question, the referee should focus on skill and level of production only to the degree to which they affect the successful realisation of the research question.

C. ADSA

1. On being contacted by the researcher, members of the ADSA Performance as Research Subcommittee will consult as to the availability and suitability of potential referees, and assist the researcher in locating and gaining the agreement of referees.

2. A panel of at least two and no more than four referees should be selected and confirmed when a firm date for the performance has been set but not less than two weeks prior. If insufficient referees are available to view a live performance, alternative arrangements for viewing via video/audio record plus notes may be made with the agreement of all parties.

3. No less than two weeks prior to the performance, ADSA will circulate copies of the research brief to the referees.

4. Both researcher and referees should be advised of the desirablity of discussing the issues involved in the research brief at least once prior to the viewing.

5. Once the referees' reports have been received, ADSA will communicate to the rresearcher the overall success or otherwise of the project in terms of it status as 'publication'. Copies of the referees' reports will be made available to the researcher on request.

5. ADSA will compile an archive of performance research projects containing the research briefs, the report submitted by the researcher at the conclusion of the project, and any supporting video, audio or other documentary material. This archive will be available to other scholars for future research. ADSA should ensure that release forms have been signed by all relevant participants.

Suggestions for the Researcher

1. Is the research component of the project clearly defined?

In order for peer review to be effective, panel members need to have information on the aims and methodology of the research project in front of them prior to the performance viewing. This research brief should take the form of a a clear statement of the research question, a short written exegesis, a process outline including notation or other visual material if appropriate, a bibliography and/or other supporting material deemed helpful by the researcher. An opportunity for the reviewers to ask questions at the time of the performance might also be helpful. You might like to structure this as part of a verbal briefing, integrate it into the performance itself or provide an occasion for discussion at the conclusion of the viewing session - whatever strategy is used, it is important that the referees clearly understand the researcher's aims, and that the researcher and the reviewers are in agreement about what aspect of the performance is relevant to the research being undertaken, and what criteria are to be applied in exercising judgement.

2. What is the project?

The project could take many forms. The performance may stand as the entire outcome of the research, or it may be a segment of a larger whole which includes theoretical argument in visual, notational and/or written form. It may stand as an illustration of principles outlined by other means, or attention may be restricted to one aspect only of a performance which contains other material which must be consciously excluded from consideration. After discussion, the researcher and reviewers may consider it more appropriate to excerpt the focus performance material from a larger work, or to augment a full performance viewing with a more detailed additional studio session in which a review or analysis of the research material can be undertaken.

The performance may be an example of a particular style or in a particular modality, or it may be interdisciplinary in nature. It may be a fully rehearsed presentation, or it may be in workshop format; in the case of an improvisational or generative process being researched, or in the case where a rehearsal method is being reviewed, more than one viewing occasion may be necessary.

It should be remembered that a performance research project may involve the composition or other preparation of performance material in a specialised format. The review may be of a standard public performance, but need not necessarily be so - the important thing is that the relationship between the research question and the performance is clear to both researcher and reviewers.

3. What is the researcher or researchers' role within the project?

It is possible to conduct research from a variety of perspectives within a performance project. The researcher may be positioned as director, designer, writer, composer, choreographer, performer, technician, etc. etc. It is however expected that the researcher will have played an active part in decision-making for the performance under review - the position of observer is not one that should require a performance review for validation. If there is more than one role or positionality under review, it may be appropriate to allocate responsibilities to different referees, or to increase the number of referees.

Researchers can contact Bill Dunstone at the English Department, University of Western Australia, Nedlands WA 6009. Phone 09) 380 2101 (messages) or ext. 2066. Researchers might also like to consult the Deakin University booklet Devising a Performance Project - Project Guidelines. Although aimed at undergraduates, the booklet contains some useful suggestions in approaching this as yet underdeveloped area of professional activity; copies are available from Alison Richards, School of Visual, Performing and Media Arts, Deakin University Geelong campus VIC 3217 Phone messages may be left at 052) 27 1335 or 03) 9820 1195