Making the Data Perform

This article describes the analytical process of transforming a single interview into a dramatic vignette. Building on the tradition of ethnodramatic writing in the social sciences, as presented by qualitative scholars like Denzin, Mienczacowski, Saldaña, and others, the piece examines the method behind this artistically influenced mode of data presentation. It also discusses some of the affordances of ethnodrama as a way to represent research participants, particularly English learners, with nuance and subtlety. The analytical exercise culminates in a dramatic vignette titled “On the Map,” a readers’ theater-style scene between the author and an adult English learner studying in a community college.