Devised and Ensemble

Sara Katzoff writes about Kickwheel Ensemble Theater’s creation of Passage, a physical theatre comedy. 

David Dudley on The Goodman Theatre production of José Rivera’s Another Word for Beauty, directed by Steve Cosson in Chicago, Illinois.

Actor and playwright Corey Fischer, co-founder of LA’s Traveling Jewish Theatre, discusses the origin of ensemble theatre and its manifestation in Ubuntu Theatre Projects.

Ben Yalom kicks off his series on ensemble theatre with this discussion of the differences between traditional and collaborative creative approaches to theatre.

Eva Kyselová writes about trends in independent theatre in the Czech Republic.

The Lamplighter Productions collective describes their process for founding their company, and shares the lessons they’ve learned.

In this installation, David Dudley talks with the three artistic directors of the SITI Company about what makes their program different and successful. 

In the first of a series of posts exploring positive practices and principles for theatremakers, Phil Weaver-Stoesz writes about the value of listening in the process of creation.

David Bruin on Mondo Bizarro and ArtSpot Productions’ Cry You One at the Arts & Ideas Festival in New Haven, Connecticut.

Julie Rada shares her process for casting devised pieces, and explores the extreme difference in the way auditions are run when a group is creating together.

Jamie Gahlon interviews Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas, and Herbert Siguenza, now marking their thirtieth year as ensemble Culture Clash.

Jennifer Johnson, of The Charlestown Working Theater, who has trained with Double Edge Theatre, interviews Stacy Klein, Founding Artistic Director of Double Edge about the evolution of Double Edge’s training method.

"Audience participation" is a vague term, like much of theatrical terminology; it has come to mean different things to different people... What happens when the audience participates by becoming performers—without volunteering to do so?

Avant-garde performer and director Paul Zimet offers a brief overview of his role in Joseph Chaikin’s Open Theater and his forty-year history with Talking Band.

Everyone starts to wonder what they’re creating with Stephen Spotswood on his journey to devise a piece with both environmental studies and theatre majors.

Chris Kaminstein of the New Orleans-based ensemble Goat in the Road explains how they made Numb, an original piece about the origins of nitrous oxide and anesthesiology.

Based on interviews with local teachers and students about the current educational climate, Forgotten Futures creates space for discussion of the dysfunction plaguing Chicago Public Schools.

The class is split almost right down the middle between theater majors and environmental studies students, with a few crossovers. That first day we have a much more immediate question to answer: Did this mix of drama and science students have the capacity to merge together into the ersatz devising company we needed them to be? Would they be open-minded, generous, and willing to play? If not, the entire semester would be an uphill process.