Visiting Scholar: Dr. Matt Omasta

From March 19-20, the CDTPS Centre for Spectatorship and Audience Research (CSAR) hosted award-winning researcher and educator, Dr. Matt Omasta. Part of his contribution was a hands-on workshop on the topic of mixed-methods, theatre-based research/analytical technique. This was open to faculty, graduate students, and upper year undergraduates.

In anticipation of the event, Dr. Omasta invited prospective participants to submit questions/topics of interest so he can best tailor the event for those in attendance.

Matt Omasta is Associate Professor and Associate Department Head for the Department of Theatre Arts at Utah State University, where he leads the B.F.A. programs in Theatre Education & Applied Theater and teaches courses in drama pedagogy, theatre for young audiences, applied theatre, and theatre history, literature, theory, and criticism. He serves on the Board of Directors of the American Alliance for Theatre & Education (AATE) and as Program Chair for the Arts & Learning Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association (AERA); he has previously served on the Executive Committee of the American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR) and in other leadership roles with AERA.

Mixed Methods Workshop with Dr. Matt Omasta

This first event took place on March 19th 2018, at 7pm in the seminar room of the Koffler Student Services Centre. This hands on event explored the advantages and applications of a mixed-methods approach to investigating research questions in the performing arts.

Keynote Address

CSAR, in partnership with CDTPS and the Jackman Humanities Institute, presented the Dr. Matt Omasta's keynote address on March 20th 2018 at 7pm at the Robert Gill Theatre. Award winning teacher and researcher, Dr. Matt Omasta, spoke about emerging thinking in the area spectatorship, particularly within the context of theatre for youth, and offered a challenge to common research practises used in the study of audiences. Dr. Omasta’s recent published books at the time included Playwriting and Young Audiences (Intellect), as well as Play & Performance (Routledge) and Qualitative Research: Analyzing Life (SAGE). There was no cost to attend the lecture and all were welcome!