Understanding Theatre's Potential for Fostering Empathy and Compassion

Buttry, Jacob

Publication

Understanding Theatre's Potential for Fostering Empathy and Compassion

Buttry, Jacob

Date

2020

Additional date(s)

2020-05-19

Abstract

This thesis analyzes how live theatre can be used to foster greater empathy and compassion within contemporary society. I begin by defining empathy, compassion, and a variety of terms related to the two; next, I discuss other background information about empathy and conclude that empathy is a skill worth developing among people in our community. I present theory and prior research that explain how storytelling in general and theatre in particular can offer the potential to improve empathy and compassion among people who engage with them. Then, I discuss a quantitative research study I conducted that compares various empathy-related measures among three groups-- one who watched a live theatre performance, one who watched a filmed performance, and one who watched a nature documentary. From here, I move to discuss the parallels in theatre and psychology, and I note in detail how the teachings of Stanislavski have direct implications on how training in performance can help to foster greater empathy and compassion. I then take the conversation beyond Stanislavski and conclude with an outline of curriculum for a potential workshop that would use theatre techniques from a variety of practitioners to encourage healthcare professionals to improve their compassionate skills.