In the world of theatre, we often encounter plays that come with a fully written script, providing dialogue, stage directions, and a clear narrative. However, a significant and vibrant area of theatrical practice is devising. Devising is the process of collaboratively creating an original piece of theatre from an initial idea or stimulus, rather than starting with a pre-written play text. It's a journey of discovery where the performance is built piece by piece through practical exploration, improvisation, and group decision-making.

Key characteristics that define devised theatre:
● Collective Authorship: Unlike a play with a single playwright, in devised theatre, the entire group acts as the 'author.' Every participant contributes ideas, experiments with scenes, and helps shape the narrative, characters, and overall vision. This fosters a strong sense of ownership and shared artistic responsibility.
● Process-Oriented: The journey of creation is as important as the final product. Devising involves a cyclical process of generating ideas, trying them out, reflecting, refining, and sometimes discarding them. It's about constant experimentation and learning from successes and failures.
● Emergent Content and Form: The specific story, characters, and performance style are not predetermined. They emerge from the group's responses to stimuli, improvisations, and discussions. This allows for unique and innovative theatrical forms that might not fit traditional genres.
● Physical and Experiential Focus: Devising often prioritises physical exploration, movement, and sensory experiences alongside dialogue. Ideas can be communicated through actions, images, sounds, and rhythms, not just spoken words.
● Responsiveness: Devised pieces can be highly responsive to contemporary issues, personal experiences, or specific themes that resonate with the creators. This can make devised theatre feel particularly relevant and urgent.
● Non-Linear Development: While a script typically follows a linear path from beginning to end, the devising process can be more fluid. You might create a powerful climax scene before you've fully developed the beginning, or explore different character interactions without knowing their ultimate fate. The pieces are then assembled and refined.

Devising develops critical skills such as creative thinking, effective collaboration, problem-solving under pressure, adaptability, and the ability to articulate complex ideas through performance. It also empowers you to tell stories that are unique to your group's perspective and artistic voice.