Devised theatre
Encyclopedia
Devised theatre is a form of theatre
where the script originates not from a writer or writers, but from collaborative, usually improvisatory, work by a group of people (usually, but not necessarily, the performers). This is similar to commedia dell'arte
and street theatre such as busking
.
It is not always distinguishable from improvisational theatre
but by the time a devised piece presents itself to the public, it usually has a fixed form: the improvisation is confined to the creation process, and either a writer, a director, or the performers themselves, will have decided exactly what is to be included and the running sequence.
Collaborators often use games as a starting point.
What method the collaborators will use depends a lot on the style of the performance group. For instance, a group who makes naturalistic theatre may start with building characters and then gradually begin to build narrative strands together out of character-based improvisational interaction. A group of a more choreographic nature would be more likely to start with improvisation using space and/or contact improvisation
.
In addition to a thematic element retrospectively applied to the material being generated, it is also common for the sequence of the material to be retrospective too. This, however, as with most elements of devising, varies depending on the group in question.
Whether the group includes a director or not will also affect the nature of the process. With a director, the performers will create a lot of material, but without any knowledge of how the director will decide to piece it all together until quite late in the process.
and Peter Brook
started experimenting and developing the idea of the actor as a creative artist in their own right, as opposed to a functional worker there to carry out the wishes of the writer and director. However, whilst the actor was being encouraged to make creative decisions about how they perform, they were not being encouraged to make decisions about what they perform. Etienne Decroux
, a mime artist and educator, broke this mould and started encouraging his students to create their own work, and for this reason, some refer to him as the father of modern devised performance.
Although, many company companies started experimenting with radical interpretation of playtexts, including many elements of devising in the process, the first fully devised performance was Oh, What a Lovely War!
, which was created by Joan Littlewood
and the Theatre Workshop
in 1963. This was a highly successfully commercial production, and most devised performance currently is struggling to receive recognition from the wider theatrical community, although it is recognised by the performing arts community and it widely taught to performing art students.
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
where the script originates not from a writer or writers, but from collaborative, usually improvisatory, work by a group of people (usually, but not necessarily, the performers). This is similar to commedia dell'arte
Commedia dell'arte
Commedia dell'arte is a form of theatre characterized by masked "types" which began in Italy in the 16th century, and was responsible for the advent of the actress and improvised performances based on sketches or scenarios. The closest translation of the name is "comedy of craft"; it is shortened...
and street theatre such as busking
Busking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
.
It is not always distinguishable from improvisational theatre
Improvisational theatre
Improvisational theatre takes many forms. It is best known as improv or impro, which is often comedic, and sometimes poignant or dramatic. In this popular, often topical art form improvisational actors/improvisers use improvisational acting techniques to perform spontaneously...
but by the time a devised piece presents itself to the public, it usually has a fixed form: the improvisation is confined to the creation process, and either a writer, a director, or the performers themselves, will have decided exactly what is to be included and the running sequence.
Devising Methods
It is very hard to pin down exact methods for devising as every group of collaborators will have different ways of approaching the creative process. One very common method is to begin by focusing on form, and then extract thematic ideas and worked with them retrospectively.Collaborators often use games as a starting point.
What method the collaborators will use depends a lot on the style of the performance group. For instance, a group who makes naturalistic theatre may start with building characters and then gradually begin to build narrative strands together out of character-based improvisational interaction. A group of a more choreographic nature would be more likely to start with improvisation using space and/or contact improvisation
Contact improvisation
Contact improvisation is a dance technique in which points of physical contact provide the starting point for exploration through movement improvisation...
.
In addition to a thematic element retrospectively applied to the material being generated, it is also common for the sequence of the material to be retrospective too. This, however, as with most elements of devising, varies depending on the group in question.
Whether the group includes a director or not will also affect the nature of the process. With a director, the performers will create a lot of material, but without any knowledge of how the director will decide to piece it all together until quite late in the process.
History of Devised Theatre
A number of theatre practitioners, including Jerzy GrotowskiJerzy Grotowski
Jerzy Grotowski was a Polish theatre director and innovator of experimental theatre, the "theatre laboratory" and "poor theatre" concepts....
and Peter Brook
Peter Brook
Peter Stephen Paul Brook CH, CBE is an English theatre and film director and innovator, who has been based in France since the early 1970s.-Life:...
started experimenting and developing the idea of the actor as a creative artist in their own right, as opposed to a functional worker there to carry out the wishes of the writer and director. However, whilst the actor was being encouraged to make creative decisions about how they perform, they were not being encouraged to make decisions about what they perform. Etienne Decroux
Étienne Decroux
Étienne Decroux studied at Jacques Copeau's Ecole du Vieux-Colombier, where he saw the beginnings of what was to become his life's obsession–Corporeal Mime...
, a mime artist and educator, broke this mould and started encouraging his students to create their own work, and for this reason, some refer to him as the father of modern devised performance.
Although, many company companies started experimenting with radical interpretation of playtexts, including many elements of devising in the process, the first fully devised performance was Oh, What a Lovely War!
Oh, What a Lovely War!
Oh, What a Lovely War! is an epic musical originated by Charles Chilton as a radio play, The Long Long Trail in December 1961, and transferred to stage by Gerry Raffles in partnership with Joan Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop in 1963...
, which was created by Joan Littlewood
Joan Littlewood
Joan Maud Littlewood was a British theatre director, noted for her work in developing the left-wing Theatre Workshop...
and the Theatre Workshop
Theatre Workshop
Theatre Workshop is a theatre group noted for their director, Joan Littlewood. Many actors of the 1950s and 1960s received their training and first exposure with the company...
in 1963. This was a highly successfully commercial production, and most devised performance currently is struggling to receive recognition from the wider theatrical community, although it is recognised by the performing arts community and it widely taught to performing art students.