Example drama dissertation topic 3:

Amateur dramatic and musical groups: Danish perceptions of a quintessentially English tradition.

Focusing upon the concept of the community amateur dramatic group’ this dissertation focuses upon the activities of the St Joseph’s Players of Wigan’ the oldest amateur dramatic group in the UK’ established in 1850. The paper first seeks to explain the on-going appeal of amateur dramatics within British society.St Joseph’s has been selected not only because it has endured for over 150 years’ but also because the Liverpool-Manchester conurbation is home to a plethora of such groups. Thereafter’ the dissertation seeks to garner an understanding of Danish perceptions of this quintessentially English tradition through interviewing students at the University of Odense. This will be achieved by showing them archival footage of actual productions produced in Wigan between 2006 and 2012 (for example’ Allo’ Allo!’ The Cemetery Club’ The Darling Buds of May’ and The Wyrd Sisters) and quantitatively recording their reactions to them. This is a cross-cultural piece of primary research that clearly makes an original contribution to existing knowledge.

Suggested initial topic reading:

• Lowerson’ J. (2005). Amateur operatics: A social and cultural history. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
• Schoell’ E. R. (1963). The amateur theatre in Great Britain.Educational Theatre Journal’ pp. 151-157.
• Woodruff’ G. (2004). Theatre at Telford Community Arts’ 1974-90. Research in drama Education’ 9(1)’ pp. 29-46.