Collaborate effectively as an ensemble when devising, including roles and responsibilities, productive group behaviours, resolving disagreement, and working as a team

What this dot point is asking

SEAB wants you to collaborate effectively as an ensemble when devising: to understand roles and responsibilities, the behaviours that make a group productive, and how to resolve disagreement and reach decisions together. You should be able to explain why devising is a team art, describe behaviours that help a group work well, and explain how a group handles conflict and shares decisions. The central insight is that devised drama is made collectively, so the quality of the piece depends as much on how the group works together as on any individual's talent: an ensemble that listens, commits, shares fairly and resolves disagreement around a shared intention will create better drama than a group of talented individuals pulling in different directions.

The answer

Devising is a collaborative art

A devised piece is created by the whole group together, not written by one person and performed by the rest. This makes collaboration the foundation of the work: the ideas, the material, the structure and the performance all emerge from how the group works together. A group that collaborates well can produce something richer than any member could alone, because ideas combine and build. A group that collaborates badly wastes its talent in conflict and confusion. The quality of the teamwork directly shapes the quality of the piece, which is why examiners value collaboration as a skill in its own right.

The ensemble mindset

An ensemble is a group working as a unified team toward a shared goal, rather than a set of individuals competing for the spotlight. The ensemble mindset means valuing the piece above personal ego, supporting one another, and trusting the group. In an ensemble, performers make each other look good, share focus, and put the needs of the whole piece first. This mindset is the difference between a group that merely shares a stage and one that truly creates together, and it underpins every productive behaviour.

Roles and responsibilities

Even an equal ensemble benefits from clear roles and responsibilities. A group may share leadership or rotate it, but it helps to agree who takes responsibility for what: who keeps track of decisions and the log, who watches from the outside to give an audience's view, who drives the structure, who coordinates design or sound. Clear responsibilities prevent tasks being dropped and stop the group relying on one person for everything. Roles should be agreed, not assumed, and balanced so that everyone contributes and no one dominates.

Productive group behaviours

Certain behaviours make collaboration work. Listening to and building on others' ideas, rather than only pushing one's own, lets the best ideas emerge. Contributing reliably and committing fully in rehearsal lets the group depend on each member. Giving and receiving honest but kind feedback improves the work without the group falling out. Sharing decisions fairly, keeping to agreements, being punctual and prepared, and supporting one another all sustain a positive working atmosphere. These behaviours are practical and learnable, and they are what an examiner looks for in evidence of good collaboration.

Resolving disagreement and deciding

Disagreement is normal and can be productive if handled well. The key is to focus on the work and the shared dramatic intention rather than on personalities or winning. A group resolves disagreement by returning to the intention and judging options against it, by letting each side explain and be heard, and by testing competing ideas on their feet rather than only arguing, since seeing an idea often settles a debate. Looking to combine the strengths of different ideas is often better than choosing one outright. If a group is still stuck, an agreed fair method - a vote, or trusting whoever holds responsibility for that area - lets the work move on. Handled this way, conflict sharpens a piece rather than breaking a group.

Examples in context

Example 1. Building on an idea. In a devising session, one performer offers a half-formed idea for an opening. Instead of dismissing it, the group listens, and another adds a twist, and a third suggests a visual image, until the offer becomes a strong opening none of them could have made alone. The ensemble behaviour of building on ideas turns a rough offer into gold.

Example 2. Settling a deadlock. Two halves of a group disagree about whether their piece should end hopefully or bleakly. Rather than arguing on, they return to their intention - to make the audience question easy optimism - test both endings on their feet, and find that the bleaker ending serves the intention better. Focusing on the work, not on winning, resolves the deadlock.

Try this

Q1. Explain why devising is described as a collaborative art. [3 marks]

• Cue. Because a devised piece is created by the whole group together rather than written by one person, the ideas, material, structure and performance all emerge from how the group works together, so the quality of the piece depends on the quality of the collaboration.

Q2. Name three behaviours that help a group collaborate well. [3 marks]

• Cue. Any three of: listening to and building on others' ideas, committing reliably and being prepared, giving and receiving honest but kind feedback, sharing decisions fairly, or supporting one another.

Q3. Explain how a group can resolve a strong disagreement productively when devising. [4 marks]

• Cue. By focusing on the work and the shared dramatic intention rather than on winning, letting each side explain and be heard, testing the competing ideas on their feet since seeing them often settles a debate, looking to combine the strengths of both, and using an agreed fair method such as a vote if still stuck, so the conflict sharpens the piece rather than breaking the group.