Quick questions on The devising process explained: H2 Theatre Studies and Drama

Devising is the creation of an original piece of theatre without a pre-existing script, where the company itself is the author. This changes the way of working: instead of interpreting a writer's text, the performers generate the content, character, structure and staging together. It demands a different set of skills, the ability to create material, to collaborate, to make collective decisions, and to take shared ownership of the result, and it is fundamental to the practical component of the course.

Material is generated through active techniques rather than discussion. Improvisation is central: spontaneous and structured improvisations let the company discover situations, characters and exchanges through doing. Other techniques include building still images and tableaux, developing physical sequences, hot-seating characters to deepen them, automatic or collaborative writing, and responding physically to music or objects. The company generates boldly and abundantly, knowing most material will be discarded; the goal at this stage is a rich stock of possibilities, not finished scenes.

A distinctive feature of devising at this level is applying the practitioners' methods as devising tools. A company might generate material through Brechtian techniques (finding the gestus of a moment, building episodic scenes), Lecoq-based physical transformation and ensemble play, Boal-style image and forum work, or Stanislavskian improvisation around objectives. Choosing a practitioner lens shapes the kind of material that emerges and gives the devising a coherent style and methodology, which markers value highly.

Define devising and explain how it differs from staging a scripted play. [3 marks]

Name three techniques a company can use to generate devised material. [3 marks]

Why is a working journal valuable during the devising process? [4 marks]