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A step-by-step guide to the devising process, from responding to a stimulus to structuring a piece and evaluating your own contribution.
Devising is the process of creating an original piece of theatre as a group, usually starting from a stimulus rather than a pre-written script. A stimulus can be an image, a news article, an object, a piece of music, or a theme, and it is used to spark ideas, discussion, and creative exploration.
Once a stimulus has been chosen, groups typically research its context and explore it through improvisation, discussion, and practical exercises such as creating still images. This early exploration helps a group generate a range of ideas and decide what message or theme their final piece will communicate, before committing to a fixed structure.
During rehearsal, initial ideas are experimented with, refined, and repeated until they form a polished sequence. This is a collaborative process: movement, dialogue, and structure are usually developed together as a group rather than dictated by a single script. If an idea is not working, a group should be willing to adapt, refine, or discard it and try an alternative approach.
Structuring means deciding the order in which scenes or moments will appear so that the piece communicates its theme clearly and builds effectively towards a climax. Devised pieces do not have to be chronological; techniques such as flashback or cross-cutting can be used to highlight connections between different moments or perspectives.
A strong evaluation reflects honestly on decisions made during devising, explaining what worked well, what did not, and why, using specific examples of ideas or skills contributed. This might include how a stimulus was interpreted, how a technique was used to represent a theme, or how a piece's structure was refined during rehearsal.