Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Program
Communication, Professional
Date of Award
5-2016
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Joseph Sobol
Committee Members
Patrick Cronin, Andrew Herrmann
Abstract
Suicide touches the lives of millions of people each year in this country alone, yet conversations about suicide loss and survival after a loss remain taboo and often do not happen. The story I performed for this performance autoethnographic study centers on my life as a survivor of suicide. It provides a starting point for dialog regarding trauma, grief, and suicide loss. The narrative was constructed directly following the sudden death of my father, which had a direct effect on my ability to produce artistic work. The development, staging and performance of the story were altered to account for the situational depression I experienced during my creative process.
I received feedback from the audience on what aspects of my telling were well developed, and what needed further development. I was able to experience the importance of balance in an autoethnographers personal life when writing about trauma and experiencing it directly.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Wheeler, Patricia R., "Love On - The Life of a Suicide Survivor: A Performance Autoethnographic Study" (2016). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3045. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3045
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.
Included in
Critical and Cultural Studies Commons, Dramatic Literature, Criticism and Theory Commons, Family, Life Course, and Society Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons, Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons, Interpersonal and Small Group Communication Commons, Other Arts and Humanities Commons, Other Communication Commons, Other Psychology Commons, Other Theatre and Performance Studies Commons, Performance Studies Commons, Personality and Social Contexts Commons, Women's Studies Commons