Performing on and off the Stage: The Place(s) of Performance in Arts-Based Approaches to Qualitative Inquiry

This article is about performance, especially as it is revealed through arts-based approaches to qualitative inquiry. Three layers of performance are highlighted. First, there is the layer of the artistic performance itself—with a focus on the author’s work with research-based drama. Then there is the layer of performance having to do with promoting the original artistic event. To best reveal the dangerous immediacy of this type of performance, the author includes in the body of the text a transcript from an interview with him conducted on national radio, about one of his dramas. Finally, there is the performance in everyday life of the arts-engaged researcher, revealed through descriptions of his responses prior to, during, and following the radio interview.