[on letterhead; Appendix A]
Participant Consent Form: “I Feel Pretty/A Boy Like That” Gender Blind Casting in West Side Story
Principal Investigator:
Daniel Guadagnolo, graduate student, University of Toronto
.
Supervisor
Prof. Elspeth Brown, Associate Prof. of History, University of Toronto
.
Purpose of Study:
You have been invited to participate in a qualitative interview about the experiences of actors and actresses in the gender-blind casting of Stratfordshire Theatre Company’s 2008 production of West Side Story. As a scholar of gender and sexuality, I feel very strongly that we’re in an important moment, historically, where for the first time many male and female actors have had the opportunity to perform both the role of Maria and Tony. This project seeks to chronicle the experiences of actors working through the gender- and race-blind casting practices of this production and their affective relationships to the performance; the casting practice; and the characters they seek to embody.
Your Participation in the Study:
Interviews are usually 1-2 hrs long. In them we’ll discuss a series of topics that are typically related to the experience of actors in the casting process. These include: experiences and definitions of ‘performance’; the nature of auditions; emotion and affective relationship to competitors; sexuality in performance; relationship to the theatrical community; and communication.
Your rights as an interviewee
If you have questions about your rights as a research participant, please contact the Ethics Review Office, University of Toronto, at (416) 946-5806.
I understand that:
1. My participation is completely voluntary and I can withdraw at any time without any consequences.
2. I have the right not to respond to any question.
3. My decision to participate or not to participate will be kept confidential.
4. The interview will be audio taped. The audiotapes will help the researcher to keep a consistent account of the issues identified throughout the focus group and to record these on a accurate basis. The tapes will be transcribed into written format by the investigator. Both the tapes and the transcriptions will be kept at the Munk School under lock and key. Except for the the principle investigator and Prof. Elspeth Brown, no other individual will have access to the data.
4. All of my responses will be kept confidential. My name will be kept secret unless I explicitly request to be quoted on the record. Some of my comments may be included in the study reports and publications under an alias for me, though I will not be individually identifiable.
I consent to participate in the study:
I have had an opportunity to ask questions and my questions have been answered to my satisfaction. I am being given a copy of this consent form for my own records.
I agree to allow the use of my name in reports and publications generated for this study.
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Printed Name of Participant Signature of participant
Address:______
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Email: ______
I have received and reviewed the consent form. To my knowledge, the participant is voluntarily and knowingly giving informed consent.
__Daniel Guadagnolo______
Name of Investigator Signature of Investigator/Research Staff
Date: ______