Category: Bristol Old Vic Young Company research project

By Bria, Louis and Danna

 

Strengths and Weaknesses of Transcription in Oral History Research

 

Transcription is essential in oral history research, enabling researchers to systematically approach and analyze data in depth. Through transcripts, researchers can repeatedly review interview content, easily identifying key themes and patterns. Text data allows for keyword searches, making locating specific topics or statements quickly; this is especially useful when handling large amounts of data. Additionally, transcribed materials are less prone to technical damage, making them well-suited for long-term preservation. This ensures that data remains accessible and can be utilized for future research. Furthermore, transcripts are convenient for direct citation in research papers or reports, helping readers to better understand interview content. Thanks to these strengths, transcription enhances the quality of oral history research and plays a vital role in the effective utilization of interview data.

Regarding the oral history research for our project, there are potential weaknesses and challenges in using transcription. Firstly, when dealing with qualitative data as we are, the process of transcribing can be a time-consuming and potentially expensive process. Due to our interviewees’ conversational and anecdotal nature, capturing tone and character is integral to analyzing the personal impacts and experiences of youth theatre. It can be argued that preserving these nuances in written text is challenging and the downside is losing the potentially critical qualities of the interview. Additionally, the existence and archival preservation of a transcript may discourage future researchers from watching/listening to the original interview recording. In effect this could produce potentially misleading analysis of our data.

Transcribing the interviews from an oral to a written mode structures the interview conversations in a form amenable to closer analysis, and is in itself an initial analysis (Rapley, 2007). Transcription is a detailed process that goes beyond converting spoken words into text. Transcription is a critical interpretive step that requires researchers to make choices about what elements to capture, such as tone, pauses, and emotional nuances. These choices shape the final analysis and can alter how findings are understood. Steiner Kvale, in Doing Interviews outlines different transcription methods – like verbatim and summarized approaches – explaining how each serves specific research purposes. He also addresses ethical issues, like respecting participant confidentiality and balancing accuracy with practical constraints. He highlights the need to protect participants’ confidentiality carefully when transcribing sensitive information from interviews, and advises researchers to anonymize any identifiable details to maintain privacy. At the same time, Kvale notes the challenge of balancing the depth of transcription with the time and resources available. He suggests capturing essential details that reflect the meaning and nuances of responses while accepting practical constraints, ensuring the data remains useful without overwhelming researchers with excessive detail.

Sources: Rapley, Tim. (2007). Doing conversation, discourse and document analysis. Sage Publications Ltd.; Kvale, Steiner. (2007). Doing Interviews. Sage Publications Ltd.

 

Final Thoughts on the Transcription Process

by Callum and Issy

 

Throughout this research project, a key idea has been how we record and preserve information. Oral history is a method for researching personal histories and stories; stories that may not always feature in larger, published cultural histories. But to ensure that the stories are preserved, the process of transcribing the interviews needs to occur. However, when evaluating this, we did identify a variety of strengths and weaknesses with this practice.

A primary and positive feature is that it makes the interviews, and therefore the information, much more accessible. For example, VHS tapes were once a norm in every household and so videos in that format were accessible to everyone. But now, we can’t remember the last time we saw a video player and so for us, that information is lost. Similarly, whatever audio format the interviews are stored on will at some point in the future becomeoutdated and inaccessible. But paper and written words will always be there.

Another benefit of transcribing oral history is that it is quicker and easier to analyse. In order to be able to search for a specific point in the recording, it must be transcribed, be that by AI or a human. Furthermore, from our perspective, by transcribing the interviews it means that we, as researchers, are going back through the information we have gathered and analysing it in closer detail.

In addition to the benefits of transcription, it can also have restrictions as a data medium. As opposed to audio files, transcriptions can be misinterpreted due to a lack of expression, speech tones and emphasis within the document. Researchers and readers then rely on a transcriber to correctly interpret emotion into words, making it a more processed form of oral history. As well as this, transcriptions are time consuming to create however easy to research. This means that researchers are able to decide on what they believe to be important information instead of what the interviewee decided to put emphasis on.

To conclude, transcriptions both pose positive and negative effects to the interpretation of oral history. With them, research can be more efficient, yet possibly more unreliable. However, for our research project, with the limited amount of time available, transcriptions will be an efficacious tool to aid our research.

 

By Skye, Jess and Lily

 

Bristol Old Vic Young Company Research Unit: Recording and Archiving Interviews and the Ethics around Interviewing

In Week 8 of the course, we had a talk from Nigel Bryant, the Audio-visual Digitisation Officer at the University of Bristol Theatre Collection. Because we were due to start interviewing participants soon, we talked about how best to operate the equipment to record these. We learnt some basic tips about finding a location for recording such as, always try to record indoors, around soft furnishings and on a steady surface. We also discussed different ways of microphoning the participants and what the positives and negatives of each method can be. For example, if we hold the recorder near their mouth throughout the interview, slight movement by the interviewer can make additional noises that are picked up by the recorder, interfering with the interview. As well as this, the participant will need to stay still for the sound to be consistent, not allowing them range of movement. Further technical notes included that it’s not just what the interviewees say, it’s how they say it – using a ‘levelier’ clip mic allows interviewees to relax and speak naturally through expressions and movement without needing to hold or have the interviewer hold a larger mic, which, as mentioned, can inhibit movement. Headphones are also essential because you need to monitor the sound levels – check for microphone fault, crackles, and sound levels. Sound levels must be between -18 and -10 decibels, and each channel must be checked and adjusted independently for sound. Additionally, 24bit depth and 96k sampling frequency is necessary – these are the official British Library standards for oral history recordings. And finally, you must do test recordings ahead of your location and copy files into two separate locations for back ups!

We also talked to Lucy Powell who is Keeper (Theatre Archives) at the Theatre Collection. She talked to us about how the data we will produce from our interviews will be catalogued for the archives. As well as each individual recording description, a collection level description will enable researchers searching the catalogue to have an overview of the resources available.

We also considered the ethical implications of interviewing and how to create a secure environment for the interviewee to feel comfortable sharing their personal views. To ensure that the interviewee’s rights, autonomy and privacy are respected we discussed some of the crucial points that are vital to the interview process. These include: when conducting an interview it’s important to consider the ethical guidelines, particularly making sure you have informed consent before starting the process, and making the interviewee aware that their participation is completely voluntary. The interviewee should also be made aware that their privacy and confidentiality are prioritised, and anything shared will only be used with their permission. Additionally, you should explain the purpose and context of the interview maintaining an integral space that avoids exploiting the contribution of the interviewees. Furthermore, interviewers must maintain an impartial view on the interviewee’s contribution. These guidelines can be bracketed into an understanding of mutual respect between the interviewer and interviewee.

By Unit students Natasha, Cerys and Honor

 

Bristol Old Vic Young Company

As part of the project, we spent time at the Bristol Old Vic, working with Lucy Hunt, Director of Engagement at the theatre, and we were able to explore their boxes of archival educational material dating from 1960 – 2012. The items ranged from scripts and programmes of shows the Young Company put on, as well as other educational resources and projects the BOV did before the Young Company was created. As the Young Company is a much newer element of the engagement programme, it was interesting to delve into its history of the performances they did and also learn about the types of productions they put on, ranging from Shakespeare to more contemporary devised work.

As well as this, there were a variety of digital archives of all of the Young Company shows dating back to the 1990s. We were able to identify a gap in information from the years 2001 – 2007. Lucy Hunt was able to provide us with the names of three additional productions which we were able to find through digital pictures from CD photo albums. The gap in information about the Young Company in those 6 years remains a mystery, but through interviews with past Young Company members, we could potentially be able to find out further information.
Overall, this task was very beneficial as it allowed us to gain more context into the history of the Young Company and its impact on the Bristol Old Vic. Its engagement with the rest of the companies performing at the BOV appears vital due to the vast amount of archival material.

Interviews with Lucy Hunt and Lisa Gregan

We conducted two interviews with people that work with the Bristol Old Vic Young Company. The first was with Lucy Hunt who produces and occasionally directs plays for the Young Company. She informed us of her role and how working with youth theatre groups and young people had impacted on her. After the interview finished we assessed the effectiveness of the questions we’d asked, the way they were asked, and the rapport that was created between the interviewer and the interviewee so that we could build from this in the second interview with the Young Company Director, Lisa Gregan. Lisa told us more about her work with the youth theatre and was also able to explain how her own experience in youth theatre as a child had impacted on her and her theatre peers positively. From both these interviews we gained positive qualitative data to add to our research project and now will also have a more informed and confident approach to the interview process in future.

Academic Readings on Interviewing Techniques 

Along with watching Jan and Naama conduct interviews with Lisa Gregan and Lucy Hunt, we also read scholarly articles on interviewing practice, specifically oral history techniques. Cerys and Honor read chapter 7 of The Voice of the Past: Oral History by Paul Thompson which looked at the multiple ways to manage an oral history interview.

Thompson argues that the most important element of interviewing is: ‘an interest and respect for people as individuals, and flexibility in response to them; an ability to show understanding and sympathy for their point of view; and above all, a willingness to sit quietly and listen’.

Thompson looks at oral history specifically as a practice, claiming ‘one of the greatest strengths of oral history evidence is its potential to connect up different spheres of life, the life-story approach, while more time-consuming, is more likely to bring new insights. It also makes a fuller use of the opportunity in recording the memories of someone who may never have been previously recorded, nor will be recorded again.’ (p.222)

The reading also gave examples of what to avoid, such as asking questions which make informants think in your way rather than theirs. At the end of the week 5 seminar, we discussed these interviewing techniques, and the reading really helped me understand what works and what doesn’t, alongside the practical examples of Jan and Naama’s interviews.

By Unit students Isabel, Seb and Keir 

Youth Theatre

There are many ways we can define youth theatre. With each different research topic, a new definition is created and developed, and while the definitions are endless and always relative, there are also general themes that appear throughout them all.

Youth theatre is the creation of a community in which young people can thrive, make friends and learn valuable life skills. It is so much more than devising and performing theatre, providing an inclusive environment where members can gain confidence, the ability to effectively communicate and creative thinking skills.

The term ‘youth’ remains ambiguous and can be assigned according to different research pathways and ideas. Essentially, however, ‘youth’ in a youth theatre context are young people who are brought together simply because of their passion for the arts. This united interest is what sparks creativity and innovation in these environments, ensuring successful personal and social development.

Youth theatre plays a significant role in building emotional intelligence by creating a safe and collaborative space for young people to explore their emotions and those of others. Through acting, participants embody different characters and experience a range of feelings, allowing them to develop empathy and a deeper understanding of human behaviour. By interpreting scripts and improvising, they learn to recognise and manage emotions, both on stage and in real life.

Group work in theatre fosters strong communication skills, teaching young performers to listen actively, respond thoughtfully, and work harmoniously with others. It also helps them develop resilience as they navigate constructive criticism and performance challenges, building self-awareness and confidence. Moreover, youth theatre encourages emotional expression in a supportive environment, promoting self-regulation and the ability to manage stress. This unique creative outlet enables young people to cultivate emotional intelligence, a skill crucial for success in relationships, education, and personal development.

What is Oral History?

“All history was at first oral” was a comment made by Samuel Johnson in the 18th century. It refers to how oral history predates the written word as the oldest type of historical enquiry. But oral history as a research methodology was initiated in the 20th century, becoming established in the 1940s with the use of tape recorders. It has now further evolved in the 21st century with the help of digital technologies.

Oral history can be defined as a method of gathering and preserving the spoken memories of people, communities and participants in past events. The potential to then interpret and analyse those voices is available but is not always a necessity. However, for anyone conducting research into a chosen topic, analysis of the oral history they have conducted will be crucial in contributing to their findings.

We will be taking this into account for when we begin to create an oral history of our own for the Bristol Old Vic’s Young Company in the coming weeks.