The Courtroom as Theatre: Explore Connections Between Acting and Legal Procedure
Faculty Mentor
Bradley Fugate
Mentor Home Department
Theater and Dance
Short Abstract
The Courtroom as Theatre: Explore Connections Between Acting and Legal Procedure Caleb Vaughn Department of Political Science Department of Theatre and Dance East Tennessee State University This thesis explores ways in which theater education benefits the practice of law. Aspiring attorneys, generally, lack exposure to proper methods of presence, personality, persona, and persuasiveness that are necessary to be effective both in trial practice and general communication in the legal field. Furthermore, the results and conclusions of this research will inform the awareness of future practicing attorneys and provide for a more effective execution of their job responsibilities. The methodology used for this study combines both qualitative and quantitative data. Many different types of persons were interviewed: including practicing attorneys, Mock Trial students, and professors of theater. The study begins with a look into the origins of acting by investigating the pedagogy of renown teachers such as Thespis, Konstantin, and Stanislavski. From there, the focus shifts to research involving the integration of theater skills into the practice of law and the training of future attorneys. Additionally, an experimental study was designed and performed for this thesis; in which, Mock Trial presenters perform the same trial speech material to an audience. One important variable among the presenters in the study was the existence or lack of acting training. Participants were judged on criteria surrounding presence, personality, persona, and persuasiveness (which are characteristics of successful litigators). The expected outcome of this research is to show that theater training consistently ranks higher in presence, personality, persona, and persuasiveness when compared to those who have none.
Category
Art and Humanities
Start Date
5-4-2024 10:20 AM
End Date
5-4-2024 11:20 AM
Location
D.P. Culp Center Room 210
The Courtroom as Theatre: Explore Connections Between Acting and Legal Procedure
D.P. Culp Center Room 210
The Courtroom as Theatre: Explore Connections Between Acting and Legal Procedure Caleb Vaughn Department of Political Science Department of Theatre and Dance East Tennessee State University This thesis explores ways in which theater education benefits the practice of law. Aspiring attorneys, generally, lack exposure to proper methods of presence, personality, persona, and persuasiveness that are necessary to be effective both in trial practice and general communication in the legal field. Furthermore, the results and conclusions of this research will inform the awareness of future practicing attorneys and provide for a more effective execution of their job responsibilities. The methodology used for this study combines both qualitative and quantitative data. Many different types of persons were interviewed: including practicing attorneys, Mock Trial students, and professors of theater. The study begins with a look into the origins of acting by investigating the pedagogy of renown teachers such as Thespis, Konstantin, and Stanislavski. From there, the focus shifts to research involving the integration of theater skills into the practice of law and the training of future attorneys. Additionally, an experimental study was designed and performed for this thesis; in which, Mock Trial presenters perform the same trial speech material to an audience. One important variable among the presenters in the study was the existence or lack of acting training. Participants were judged on criteria surrounding presence, personality, persona, and persuasiveness (which are characteristics of successful litigators). The expected outcome of this research is to show that theater training consistently ranks higher in presence, personality, persona, and persuasiveness when compared to those who have none.