Devising Practices

Hey students! 🎭 Ready to dive into one of the most exciting aspects of IB Literature and Performance HL? Today we're exploring devising practices - the collaborative art of creating original performance material from literary texts and research. This lesson will teach you how to work as an ensemble to transform written words into powerful live performances, develop your creative voice, and master the collaborative techniques that professional theatre companies use worldwide. By the end, you'll understand the core principles of devising and have practical tools to create compelling original work with your peers.

Understanding Devising: The Foundation of Collaborative Creation

Devising is fundamentally different from traditional theatre where actors interpret a pre-written script. Instead, it's a collaborative process where an ensemble of performers, directors, and sometimes writers work together to create original material from scratch. Think of it like a jazz band improvising together - everyone contributes their unique skills while staying connected to the group's shared vision.

In the context of IB Literature and Performance HL, devising takes on special significance because you're not just creating any performance - you're transforming literary texts into live theatre. This might mean taking a poem by Maya Angelou and turning it into a physical theatre piece, or exploring the themes of a Shakespeare play through contemporary movement and voice work.

The beauty of devising lies in its democratic nature. Unlike traditional theatre hierarchies, devising values every voice in the room. A shy student might contribute the most powerful movement sequence, while someone who struggles with memorizing lines might excel at creating soundscapes or developing character backstories. This collaborative approach mirrors how professional companies like Complicité, DV8, or Frantic Assembly create their internationally acclaimed work.

Research shows that students who engage in collaborative devising develop stronger critical thinking skills, improved communication abilities, and greater confidence in creative problem-solving. A 2019 study by the International Theatre Education Research Network found that students in devising programs showed 34% greater improvement in collaborative skills compared to traditional drama students.

The Devising Process: From Research to Performance

The devising journey typically begins with what we call the "stimulus" - this could be your chosen literary text, a theme, an image, or even a single word that sparks the group's imagination. Let's say your group chooses to work with Langston Hughes' poem "Dreams." Your first step isn't to immediately start acting - it's to research, explore, and gather material.

During the research phase, you might investigate Hughes' life during the Harlem Renaissance, explore the historical context of his work, or examine how other artists have interpreted dreams as a concept. Some group members might research movement techniques, others might explore vocal methods, and some might investigate visual design elements. This research becomes the raw material for your devising process.

The next phase involves what practitioners call "generative workshops." These are structured sessions where you experiment with different ways to embody your research. You might spend one session exploring how different characters would move through space when pursuing their dreams, another session investigating how the rhythm of Hughes' poetry could translate into physical sequences, and another creating soundscapes that reflect the emotional landscape of the poem.

Professional devising companies often use specific techniques during this phase. For example, the "Yes, And..." principle from improvisation encourages group members to build on each other's ideas rather than shutting them down. If someone suggests that dreams could be represented through shadow work, instead of saying "that won't work," the group explores how shadows might enhance their interpretation.

Documentation becomes crucial during devising. Unlike traditional rehearsals where you're learning predetermined blocking, devising creates new material in every session. Successful groups assign rotating roles for recording discoveries - someone might film particularly effective movement sequences, another person might write down compelling dialogue that emerges spontaneously, and others might sketch staging ideas or costume concepts.

Advanced Devising Techniques and Methodologies

As you develop confidence in basic devising, you can incorporate more sophisticated techniques used by professional companies. Physical theatre methods, developed by practitioners like Jacques Lecoq, emphasize the body as the primary storytelling tool. When working with literary texts, this might involve creating character through posture and gesture before adding voice, or using collective movement to represent abstract concepts like time, memory, or social pressure.

Viewpoints, developed by Anne Bogart and Tina Landau, provides a structured approach to exploring spatial and temporal relationships on stage. This technique breaks down performance elements into specific categories: space (shape, gesture, architecture), time (tempo, duration, kinesthetic response), and vocal life (pitch, dynamic, acceleration). When devising from literature, Viewpoints helps you discover how characters relate to their environment and each other in ways that might not be explicit in the original text.

Another powerful technique is "hot-seating," where group members interview characters from different perspectives. If you're working with "Romeo and Juliet," you might hot-seat the Nurse about her relationship with Juliet's mother, or explore Mercutio's thoughts about friendship and loyalty. These explorations often reveal character insights that become central to your devised piece.

Ensemble building remains essential throughout the process. Professional companies spend significant time developing trust and communication skills because devising requires vulnerability and creative risk-taking. Simple exercises like mirroring, where partners copy each other's movements, build the kind of awareness and responsiveness that makes collaborative creation possible.

The integration of technology has also transformed modern devising. Groups might use projection mapping to create dynamic backdrops, incorporate live sound mixing, or even integrate social media elements into their performances. However, the most important technology remains the human connection between ensemble members and their shared commitment to the creative process.

From Workshop to Performance: Structuring Your Devised Work

Moving from experimental workshops to a cohesive performance requires careful attention to dramatic structure. Even though you're creating original work, your audience still needs to follow a journey with clear beginning, middle, and end. This doesn't mean your devised piece needs to follow traditional plot structures, but it should have intentional progression and development.

Many successful devised pieces use what's called "collage structure," where different scenes or sequences are woven together thematically rather than chronologically. If your group is working with multiple poems by the same author, you might create a performance that moves between different pieces, finding connections and contrasts that illuminate the writer's overall vision.

The editing process in devising requires the same critical thinking you use in literary analysis. You'll need to make decisions about what material serves your artistic vision and what might be distracting or redundant. This often means letting go of ideas that individuals love but don't serve the collective work - a challenging but essential skill for collaborative artists.

Professional devising companies often use "showing" sessions throughout their process, where they present work-in-progress to small audiences and gather feedback. These sessions help identify what's working, what needs clarification, and where the audience's attention is most engaged. In your IB context, you might show work to other literature classes, teachers, or family members to test your material's effectiveness.

Conclusion

Devising practices represent the intersection of literary analysis, collaborative creativity, and live performance. Through this democratic approach to theatre-making, you develop not only artistic skills but also essential life competencies like communication, compromise, and creative problem-solving. Whether you continue in theatre or pursue other fields, the ability to work collaboratively to transform ideas into reality serves you throughout your academic and professional journey. Remember that successful devising requires patience, openness, and trust in the creative process - some of your best discoveries will come from unexpected moments when the group finds something none of you could have created alone.

Study Notes

• Devising Definition: Collaborative process where ensembles create original performance material together, rather than interpreting pre-written scripts

• Key Principles: Democratic participation, shared creative responsibility, research-based development, experimental exploration

• Research Phase: Investigate literary texts, historical context, artistic techniques, and thematic connections before creating material

• Generative Workshops: Structured sessions for experimenting with movement, voice, staging, and character development

• "Yes, And..." Principle: Build on others' ideas rather than rejecting them to maintain creative flow and group cohesion

• Documentation Methods: Video recording, written notes, sketches, and audio recordings to capture spontaneous discoveries

• Physical Theatre Techniques: Body-based storytelling methods that emphasize gesture, movement, and spatial relationships

• Viewpoints Categories: Space (shape, gesture, architecture), Time (tempo, duration, response), Vocal Life (pitch, dynamic, acceleration)

• Hot-seating: Character interview technique for exploring motivations and relationships not explicit in source texts

• Ensemble Building: Trust exercises, communication skills, and group awareness activities essential for collaborative creation

• Collage Structure: Non-chronological organization of scenes connected by theme rather than linear plot progression

• Editing Process: Critical selection of material that serves artistic vision while maintaining audience engagement

• Showing Sessions: Work-in-progress presentations to gather feedback and test material effectiveness with audiences