Participants needed for a study on experiences of ‘acting as one’ in theatre

DATE :

AFA News Theatre Volunteers

DEADLINE: July 24, 2026 - 5:00 pm

The University of Saskatchewan's Department of Psychology is conducting a study of experiences of ‘acting as one’ that sometimes occur when people create, rehearse, or perform theatre together with others.

These experiences have been described as:

  • a feeling of being 'one' with the group; and/or
  • feeling like the group is a singular entity; and/or
  • feeling like the group has a single mind and/or body.

These experiences sometimes can involve:

  • a sense of losing yourself in the group; and/or
  • a sense of blurring between yourself and others; and/or
  • a sense of feeling larger than yourself; and/or
  • a sense of heightened connectedness with others who are participating.

We are interested in any kind of theatre-making with others:

  • from pairs to large groups;
  • from amateur to professional;
  • from creation to rehearsal to performance;
  • from recreational to commercial;
  • from ad-hoc groups to long-standing ensembles/companies; and
  • from improvisation to text-based forms, including devised, collective creation, solo performance, applied theatre, or musical theatre.

In order to participate, you must:

  1. be 18 or older;
  2. have experienced a sense of ‘acting as one’ during theatre-making or theatre performance with at least one other person;
  3. be able to describe your experience in detail in written English.

If you meet these requirements and are interested in participating, you are welcome to fill out an anonymous online questionnaire (no tracking of IP addresses, email addresses, or other identifying information) that should take approximately 20 to 40 minutes to complete.

For completing the survey, you will be eligible to enter a draw to win 1 of 25 pre-paid Visa gift cards.

If interested, please follow this link to access the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.ca/r/ActingAsOneInTheatre

If you have questions about this study, please contact Shannon Blanchet by email: shannon.blanchet@usask.ca, or by phone: (306) 966-5180.

Thank you for your time and participation.
Shannon Blanchet 
Associate Professor
School for the Arts
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

This study has been reviewed and approved by the University of Saskatchewan Behavioural Research Ethics Board.