Research Update

I wanted to write about what I have been up to lately. I have been navigating my way through the ethics process and the confident researcher modules. I’ve never had to submit forms for ethical approval previously. It has been a steep learning curve but I now have approval to work with adult workshops at the theatre and for my initial questionnaire. 

All staff at the theatre will be receiving a questionnaire: the purpose is to understand how the different departments at the theatre define the key principles the theatre are trying to uphold. 


My questions are:


  • What department do you work in at Theatr Clwyd?

  • What is your understanding of the public arts programme at the theatre?

  • What is your understanding of the term sustainability and what does it mean to the theatre?

  • What is your understanding of the word playfulness and what does it mean to the theatre?

  • What is your understanding of the word community and what does it mean to the theatre?

  • What is your understanding of well-being and how the theatre might contribute to well-being of the community?


I will be presenting at the next all staff meeting at the theatre to explain the reasons behind the questionnaire so hopefully I will be able to have that data soon to explore and analyse.


For the confident researcher qualification, I have been completing a few modules. Firstly, I had to have a ResearchGate or LinkedIn presence. I had neither but decided to create both. I was previously self-employed for 12 years so I had no need for a LinkedIn profile. It has been interesting setting it up, creating networks and posting about events I have attended. ResearchGate was new to me too. I have found some really interesting articles on there. There was a research conference at Glyndwr recently and I produced a research poster for it. I have attached that poster to my ResearchGate profile. 



The next module was to present my research at the ‘Open House for Research’ session at Glyndwr. The sessions are really interesting where researchers share their research with others; it’s informative but also really helpful to network with others at Glyndwr, especially those with similar research knowledge. My presentation went well and I have since had some conversations with other researchers on how they may be able to help with aspects of my research which I really appreciate.


Another module was to look at the possible impact of my research. My current research aims are:


  1. To identify how the public arts programme at Theatr Clwyd enhances well being

  2. To understand how that programme upholds its principles of sustainability, playfulness/joy and community engagement

  3. To document the renovation at Theatr Clwyd

  4. To understand how visual arts sit within a performing arts setting, especially with the theatre's renovations


The exploration of each will bring different implications where impact beyond WGU is concerned. 


The first aim hopes to identify how the theatre enhances well-being. This is important for the theatre to see which areas of their programme impacts people locally. Understanding this will develop their programme further. Other organisations might use this information to influence their own public arts programmes. If the theatre is proven to enhance people’s well-being then this could affect funding from the local authority and national policy for the arts. It will also be interesting to the general community that live and use the theatre, that using their services impacts their well-being. In theory, that may increase visitor numbers\workshop participant numbers.


The second aim explores the theatre’s principles and how these apply to the public arts programme. The principles the theatre tries to uphold are already implemented in Welsh legislation under the Well-being of Future Generations Act. Having a case study to show an organisation applying these principles to every aspect of their working from the new build to the workshops could help influence further legislation. How effectively they apply the principles to the public arts programme could change people’s behaviours, especially around sustainability. Having this explored through research will examine their impact and how it could improve.


The third aim is to document the renovations. The theatre will be documenting themselves but I will be reflecting on this process from a practice based methodology. For cultural prosperity, this is important; the theatre is the only producing house theatre in North Wales and is embedded in the community. The renovation is a once in a generation opportunity and that needs documenting as many ways as possible. 


The fourth aim is to understand how visual arts sit within a performing arts setting. I will be looking at the commissions from the steering group, how artwork is chosen to sit in these spaces and the implications of that. I also intend to take visual arts into the performing arts workshops and see how the participants react. All this data will strengthen the understanding of the shared space between visual and performing arts. 


Reasons to Measure Impact:


  • Advocacy – helping gain support from the public, funders, government etc

  • Accountability – showing what I am achieving with my work

  • Analysis – finding out which approaches to research are most effective

  • Allocation – considering where it is most appropriate to invest research funding where the theatre, local government etc are concerned

My research would show advocacy for the arts, strengthening Theatr Clwyd’s funding bids and through the public engagement help the theatre gain further public support. At this early stage, it is hard to show what I’m really achieving with my work other than getting the ethical approval. Once I start to actually get the data, I will be able to start to become accountable for my research. Again, due to the early stage of my research the analysis will come as the data is collected. The effectiveness will be learnt as I carry on with the study. Having research students working with organsiations is a valuable way to carry out research in the real world. The majority of organisations are collecting their own data which is not evaluated. Researchers provide an interesting insight into an organisation and I hope my collaboration with Theatr Clwyd will strengthen their funding but also encourage others to invest in research.

I have recently had a meeting with the theatre to plan for the workshop sessions. The plan so far is to attend a couple of sessions to get to know the groups and then visit the theatre with the groups to view the building as Phase 1 has been completed. The next session will reflect on what we saw in the building and the participants will react within their own discipline. The next session will be the participants reacting within a visual arts discipline-the outcomes are unknown which is quite exciting. The groups I will be working with are acting, writing and dance based. I need to work out some session plans with the workshop tutors. If these sessions are successful, we will repeat them after every stage of the renovation is completed. It is another way to document the renovations but also explore the relationship between the performing arts and visual arts.

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