| Abstract | An Examination of the Rudolph National Tour My honors project is an examination of the experience of actors on the national tour of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer from two specific perspectives: an objective lens derived from tangible data and a subjective view of the experience exploring anecdotal data. My project will have two main components: 1) who I was, what I was doing, and how the tour related to the TCU experience and 2) information about the touring experience itself. Last winter I had the privilege of being cast in the National Tour of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. This experience provided an inside perspective of national touring, as well as the opportunity to live in a closed community. I thought a structured analysis of this experience would create a unique honors project. Over the course of a month and a half of this tour, I was able to collect both subjective and anecdotal data of a closed group of individuals sharing the same experiences but reacting to them differently. I was also able to experience the "Hawthorne Effect" and the "Observer Expectancy Effect," as I myself was a part of the experimental group. I will present my experiences chronologically, augmented by a multimedia presentation that will include photos, videos, surveys, interviews, and additional forms of documentation. I will also examine how the touring experience compares to a "normal" 9:00-5:00 office job and use this project to create a resource for other students that are considering touring. (Within the last five years alone, there has been a substantial increase in the number of TCU alumni on national tours.) It is my hope that my research, analysis, and presentation can provide insight into the touring experience that cannot be taught in a traditional classroom. |
