Devising Theatre

by | Directing and Devising, Drama Tips

“There is no formula to the way we make theatre… It starts with an itch, a need, an instinct… We gaze at books and films, sketch and begin to form a concept; an environment in which the story can live, in which the actors can play. This physical world holds meaning and narrative, it is as much a story telling tool as the written word.”

 

emma_rice

Emma Rice

Artistic Director, Wise Children, Shakespeare's Globe, Kneehigh

“Things don’t always arrive by lots of consideration. We think about things, but sometimes they happen by mistake. On the whole most of our work is about the tension between something that is funny and something that isn’t” – Paul Hunter.

“If you know exactly what you are going to do, what’s the point of doing it?” – Picasso.

Paul Hunter

Actor, Artistic Director, Told By An Idiot

“It woke me up at four o’clock this morning and I haven’t gone back to sleep… I’m thinking: ‘This is a disaster! I don’t know why I am doing this!’ My stage manager is saying: ‘There are only 10 days to go – when are we going to get a script?’ It’s absolutely petrifying. The script will almost arise in my mouth as the lights go up – like a piece of jazz.”- Simon McBurney.

“Everything moves. Everything develops and progresses. Everything rebounds and resonates. From one point to another, the line is never straight.” – Jacques LeCoq.

mcburney

Simon McBurney

Director, Complicite

Complicite - Devising Theatre (PDF)
Emma Rice - Making A Show
Complicite - Education Resources
The Guardian - Devised Theatre

Getting Started

Devising a piece of theatre can be a stimulating and exciting journey towards the development of a performance which is a fusion of the unique talents and creativity of the group. It is not a direct journey, but one in which you will encounter well-trodden paths, blind alleys and sudden surprises. In order to prepare, the group needs to have a good grasp of improvisatory skills. The following exercise helps students learn to accept each others’ ideas – a concept which is not only useful in improvisation, but essential in developing the dynamics of the group throughout the devising process.

Pair Story-making

Divide into pairs. One person begins by making an “offer” (putting forward an idea) and the partner replies with a sentence that begins “Yes, and…”. Try not to block your partner’s ideas, which can so often happen in improvisation. Instead, build on each other’s suggestions. As soon as confidence develops, you can add in actions. Use the space as much as possible.

A: It’s raining
B: Yes, and I’ve got a large umbrella
A: Let’s shelter under it
B: Yes, and the wind is blowing us into the air
A: We are flying over the sea
B: Yes, and we have landed on an island…

And so on. It can be a very liberating game, especially as we don’t often get the chance to say “yes” to everything! A key concept is that participants should avoid trying to push their own idea at the expense of their partner’s. You can also try the game with both of you saying “Yes, and…”. The literal “Yes” can be dropped completely as soon as acceptance of each others’ ideas begins to become more automatic. In contrast, it may also be worth briefly exploring what happens if one of the partners always says “No”.

Devising Theatre Download by David Farmer coming soon!

Thoughts about Devising and Creativity

‘MAKE MISTAKES’ – put this sign on your director’s desk or if you don’t have a director, hang it on the wall.

‘Creativity is like a cat – you can’t MAKE IT come to you. In order to catch it you sometimes have to walk away from it’

Improbable Theatre

‘If you’re not prepared to be wrong you’ll never come up with anything original‘

Sir Ken Robinson

‘Life is what happens when you’re making other plans’

John Lennon