A Beginner's Guide to Devising Theatre

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Winner of the 2021 Music & Drama Education Award for Outstanding Drama Education Resource

Much of the theatre we make starts with a script and a story given to us by someone else

But what happens when we're required to start from scratch?

How do we begin to make theatre using our own ideas, our own perspective, our own stories?

A Beginner's Guide to Devising Theatre is aimed at those new to devising or wanting to further develop their skills

Written by the artistic directors of the award-winning young people's performance company Junction 25 it explores creative ways to create original theatre from a contemporary stimulus and a structure within which to approach the creative process, including ideas on finding a starting point, generating material, composition and design

It also offers practical ideas for use in rehearsal; and it presents grounding in terminology that will support a confident and informed approach to production

The book features contributions from some of the young performers who have been a part of Junction 25's work to date, as well as key artists and companies that work professionally in devised theatre, including case studies from Quarantine, the Team, Mammalian Diving Reflex, Nic Green and Ontroerend Goed

Ideal for any student faced with the challenge of creating work from scratch, A Beginner's Guide to Devising Theatre offers constructive guidance, which supports the requirements of students taking Drama and Theatre Studies courses

TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Foreword by theatre critic Lyn Gardner

PART ONE: An Introduction to devising theatre with young people

An Introduction to Junction 25
Who is this book for?
Why devise theatre?
Beginning to collaborate

PART TWO: Devising theatre in seven stages

An overview

Stage 1: Building the group dynamic

Stage 2: Selecting an inquiry question

Stage 3: Finding the frame

Stage 4: Making original material for performance

· Writing text
· Movement and choreography
· Performance images
· Action
· Music

Stage 5: Structure and composition

Stage 6: Reflection

Stage 7: Production: Sharing your work with an audience

PART THREE: Five interviews and one running order

Interviews with companies that devise theatre; an introduction

Interview about the process of devising All the Sex I've Ever Had by Mammalian Diving Reflex with Artistic Director Darren O'Donnell

Interview about the process of devising Wallflower by Quarantine with Artistic Director Richard Gregory

Interview about the process of devising Mission Drift by the TEAM with Artistic Director Rachel Chavkin

Interview about the process of devising (LIES) by Ontroerend Goed with Artistic Director Alexander Devriendt

Interview about the process of devising Trilogy by Nic Green with Artist Nic Green

An example of a running order ANOESIS by Junction 25

REVIEWS

"[A] useful, practical book ... The emphasis, throughout, is on collaboration - an essential life skill ... This book demonstrates just how much drama can contribute to educational development. Any young person who comes successfully through this process will be equipped for almost anything" ~ Ink Pellet

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