WP251 Linguistics in drama processes

Doing drama is a complex interactive process. Drama processes, such as rehearsals, rely heavily on the spoken communication between the participants (such as actors, directors, performance artists), no matter how much gesture and movement is involved. Drama is often thought of only in terms of a final product, such as a performance or a script, rather than as a creative communication and working process that can be spread out over a longer period of time before reaching its final stage. In spite of all the research and analysis dedicated to drama, discursive research has rarely been carried out on theatre practice and its authentic discourse, which constitute part of the everyday working process for theatre practitioners the world over. This paper explores from a discursive perspective what is going on in drama processes and introduces the method I have developed for researching drama processes.