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Devised and Ensemble

Devised and ensemble-based theatre breaks down barriers and hierarchies between directors, writers, and performers in order to create work as a group of artists. In this section, you’ll find content about pieces made this way, thoughts from the creators, and learning on how to do it. The 2014 Ensemble Series is a great entry point.

The Latest

On Devising in the Classroom
Podcast
On Devising in the Classroom
by Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder, Andy Paris, Emily K. Harrison
16 April 2024
My Beatnik Youth
Video
My Beatnik Youth
Performance and Conversation with Justin Elizabeth Sayre and Fempath, moderated by Penny Arcade
Sunday 17 March 2024
New York
Art as a Weapon (Youth Against Invasion)
Video
Art as a Weapon (Youth Against Invasion)
Students from the Freedom Theatre in Jenin, Palestine talk about cultural resistance and creating in times of crisis. 
Saturday 16 March 2024
sheet music
To Witness
Essay

To Witness

A Proposal to Build Radical Trust across Difference in the Arts

6 November 2019

Annalisa Dias and Ronee Penoi discuss decolonizing theatre, building trust and relationships across difference, and the act of witnessing.

a group of performers outside
Theatre for Development in Malawi
Essay

Theatre for Development in Malawi

5 November 2019

Isaac Mafuel talks about Malawi’s most prevalent form of theatre, its history, and its impact and challenges.

a group of actors onstage
Apollo Meets the Climate Youth Movement on Indigenous Ground
Essay

Apollo Meets the Climate Youth Movement on Indigenous Ground

2 October 2019

Playwright and professor Theresa May talks about creating a show about the planet, Sky Woman, and the Youth Climate Movement, and how collaborating with students enhanced the development process.

two panelists seated in front an audience
Curating Freedom and Power for Women of Color in Leadership
Essay

Curating Freedom and Power for Women of Color in Leadership

26 September 2019

Linda Parris-Bailey and Diane Rodriguez talk about their own leadership transitions and what’s next, gender, race, and economic barriers; documenting work; and more.

four actors in rehearsal
We Didn’t Have Any Role Models
Essay

We Didn’t Have Any Role Models

An Interview with the Founders of Wry Crips Disabled Women’s Theatre Group

21 August 2019

Michaela Goldhaber, current artistic director of Wry Crips, talks to the founding and early members of the disabled women’s theatre group about their history.

set of not every mountain
How You Make/What You Make with Kirk Lynn of The Rude Mechanicals
Podcast

How You Make/What You Make with Kirk Lynn of The Rude Mechanicals

From the Ground Up Episode #15

19 August 2019

On this episode of From the Ground Up, Kirk Lynn of Austin, Texas’ Rude Mechanicals talks about their place on the national scene and how they sustain their work as they continue to grow as artists and individuals.

actors onstage
Blurriness and Fragmentation with Julia Rhoads of Lucky Plush Production
Podcast

Blurriness and Fragmentation with Julia Rhoads of Lucky Plush Production

From the Ground Up Episode #14

5 August 2019

Julia Rhoads of the ensemble dance-theatre company Lucky Plush Productions talks to From the Ground Up about their sustaining efforts, strategies for developing work, and why the messiness of human relationships is such fertile ground for making work.

actors on an outside stage
No Screens with Ariel Fristoe of Out of Hand Theater
Podcast

No Screens with Ariel Fristoe of Out of Hand Theater

From the Ground Up Episode #13

22 July 2019

On this episode of the From the Ground Up Podcast, Ariel Fristoe of Out Of Hand Theatre talks about how their unique games and creation process translates from free experiences for audiences all over Atlanta to corporate training.

a group posing for a photo in a train station
The Aesthetic Fingerprint with Quinn Bauriedel of Pig Iron Theatre Company
Podcast

The Aesthetic Fingerprint with Quinn Bauriedel of Pig Iron Theatre Company

From the Ground Up Episode #12

1 July 2019

In episode twelve of the From the Ground Up Podcast, Jeffrey Mosser talks to Pig Iron Theatre Company co-founder and co-artistic director Quinn Bauriedel about the history and future of the company, which is celebrating its twenty-fifth year.

four actors standing upstage of a seated actor with a large radio
The Living Ticket Model with Heather Cohn and Corinna Schulenburg of Flux Theatre Ensemble
Podcast

The Living Ticket Model with Heather Cohn and Corinna Schulenburg of Flux Theatre Ensemble

From the Ground Up Podcast Episode #11

18 June 2019

In this episode of the From the Ground Up Podcast, Jeffrey Mosser talks with Heather Cohn and Corinna Schulenburg of Flux Theatre Ensemble about their Living Ticket model is making transparent how much it costs to make a living wage in the theatre. This episode was recorded live at the TCG Miami 2019 Conference on Friday 7 June 2019.

an actor kneeling onstage before four seated actors
Artists and Otherwise
Essay

Artists and Otherwise

What Working With Veterans Has Taught Me About What Artists Have to Offer

9 June 2019

Jonathan Wei, founder of The Telling Project, writes about what he has discovered artists can do for communities through his work with veterans and military families.

actors on stage
The Audience Ensemble with Rachel Grossman and Colin K. Bills of dog & pony dc
Podcast

The Audience Ensemble with Rachel Grossman and Colin K. Bills of dog & pony dc

From the Ground Up Episode #10

3 June 2019

In this episode of the From the Ground Up Podcast, Jeffrey Mosser discusses devising audience integrated performances with dog & pony dc founder Rachel Grossman and co-conspirator Colin K. Bills.

quita sullivan
Creation is a Personal Thing (And So Is Your Grant) with Quita Sullivan of NEFA
Podcast

Creation is a Personal Thing (And So Is Your Grant) with Quita Sullivan of NEFA

From the Ground Up Episode #9

20 May 2019

In this episode of the From the Ground Up Podcast, Jeffrey Mosser and Quita Sullivan of New England Foundation of the Arts talk equity in the grant making process, and share some best practices for artists applying to grants.

actors onstage
Discovering Your Authentic Voice As a Playwright
Essay

Discovering Your Authentic Voice As a Playwright

19 May 2019

Herbert Siguenza, co-founder of the Latino performance troupe Culture Clash, talks about his unconventional writing path, his time working with the collective, and finding his unique voice.

selfie
After Careful Consideration (We Went With Another Project) with Lindsay Puckett, MD
Podcast

After Careful Consideration (We Went With Another Project) with Lindsay Puckett, MD

From the Ground Up Episode #8

29 April 2019

In this episode of the From the Ground Up Podcast, Jeffrey Mosser talks to longtime friend and medical doctor Lindsay Puckett about the uncanny similarity in the grant application process for theatremakers and research scientists.

an actor in a mask
Talking Sustainability with Leda Hoffman of Strawdog Theatre Company
Podcast

Talking Sustainability with Leda Hoffman of Strawdog Theatre Company

From the Ground Up Episode #7

15 April 2019

In episode seven of the From the Ground Up Podcast, Jeffrey Mosser talks to Leda Hoffman about her recent appointment of artistic director of Strawdog Theatre Company. This is a two-part interview with Strawdog Theatre Company—you can listen to Part One here.

eight actors surrounding another
TILTing Perspectives
Essay

TILTing Perspectives

Approaches to Devising New Work Alongside Actors with Disabilities

11 April 2019

Adam Roberts talks about the devising process used at TILT, a performance company in Austin, Texas, that celebrates the creative work of adult actors with disabilities.

actors onstage underneath a large projection
Harnessing the Combined Power of Theatre and TV
Essay

Harnessing the Combined Power of Theatre and TV

7 April 2019

Camille Cuzzupoli examines the themes present in Manual Cinema’s production The End of TV.

three actors onstage
That Blue Sky with Stephanie McKee of Junebug Productions
Podcast

That Blue Sky with Stephanie McKee of Junebug Productions

From the Ground Up Podcast Episode #6

1 April 2019

In episode six of the From the Ground Up podcast, Jeffrey Mosser interviews Stephanie McKee about the history of Junebug Productions, and how they look to "that blue sky" to imagine what is possible for the future.

five people onstage in costume
Invited to be Family with Michaela Petro of Strawdog Theatre Company
Podcast

Invited to be Family with Michaela Petro of Strawdog Theatre Company

From the Ground Up Podcast Episode #5

18 March 2019

In episode five of the From the Ground Up podcast, Michaela Petro walks us down her path on becoming an ensemble member of Strawdog Theatre Company, and how she contributes to cultivating their artistic culture.

actors on a boat onstage
Sustaining/Passion with Ova Saopeng of TeAda Productions
Podcast

Sustaining/Passion with Ova Saopeng of TeAda Productions

From the Ground Up Podcast Episode #4

25 February 2019

In this episode of the From the Ground Up Podcast, host Jeffery Mosser talks with Ova Saopeng of TeAda Productions about the importance of telling immigrant and refugee stories.

Children performing onstage
The Challenges of Challenging Work with Emily K. Harrison of square product theatre
Podcast

The Challenges of Challenging Work with Emily K. Harrison of square product theatre

From the Ground Up Podcast Episode #3

11 February 2019

In episode three of the From the Ground Up podcast, Emily K. Harrison of square product theatre stresses the importance of creating space for radical inquiry by making work that provokes challenging conversations.

two people smiling in a small office
Putting a Value on the Work and Putting the Work in the Community with Coya Paz and Free Street Theater
Podcast

Putting a Value on the Work and Putting the Work in the Community with Coya Paz and Free Street Theater

From the Ground Up Podcast Episode #2

28 January 2019

In episode two of the From the Ground Up podcast, Coya Paz gives us the history and a peek into the future of Free Street Theater as it enters its fiftieth anniversary.

audience in darkness, except for flashlights
Making Light
Essay

Making Light

22 January 2019

Daniel Jackson talks about creating an interactive DIY lighting system—that the audience partially controlled—for a recent production that took place almost entirely in the dark.

From The Ground Up logo.
From The Ground Up Podcast
Podcast

From The Ground Up Podcast

Introduction

14 January 2019

Jeffrey Mosser introduces a new podcast series, From the Ground Up, about ensemble-based and collaboratively-created theatre companies.