An examination of interpretive discourse in selected theories of media ecology and educational theatre

The problem this interdisciplinary study addresses is the place of oral interpretive discourse in the contemporary educational theatre classroom from a media ecology perspective.;One of the premises of media ecology is that the primacy of a form of communication creates a cultural bias. Presently the dominant form of communication is the mass media, proliferated by technological developments. Another premise of media ecology is that the pervasiveness of the mass media alters the educational task. To counterbalance the bias of students' information environment, this study seeks to expand the notion of students as audience members who critically and orally interpret dramatic text.;In the first part, media ecology theory about the changes that occur in oral discourse as a result of the communications shifts from orality to literacy to technology are described and analyzed. Then, current moves toward interpretive discourse in educational theatre are discussed. Background is included on the way interpretive, critical thought has sometimes been omitted from the teaching of drama as a result of Progressive and Romantic influences on drama education. Historically, Susanne Langer's formulation of the discursive and presentational symbolic modes have simultaneously influenced theory in both media ecology and educational theatre: media ecology has emphasized the discursive, educational theatre the presentational. Since television is characterized by the presentational symbolic mode, arguments are made from a media ecology perspective that those in educational theatre should create opportunities for students to engage in the discursive mode to counterbalance the prevailing cultural bias. Developing the reception mode of dramatic art can accomplish this goal. The efficaciousness of the responding component of David Hornbrook's proposed model of making, performing, and responding is established from a media ecology perspective. From the theatre end of the drama/theatre continuum, the contribution of Martin Esslin on what the methods of dramatic criticism have to offer to students in the age of television is considered. Models for interpretive strategies are described, as well as their limitations. Finally, a synthesis of a media ecology perspective on interpretive discourse with current developments in educational theatre is made, along with the implications for pedagogical content in educational theatre.