An edited collection of essays exploring ways that theatrical devising supports and defies higher education’s institutional goals.
In the theater industry, “off book” refers to the date by which performers are to have memorized their lines and will no longer carry their play script—the “book”—on stage. But for the authors of this volume, the question is not when the book needs to be memorized, but why is there a need to be “on” book in the first place? Practitioners of devised performance choose to compose live performances from scratch rather than follow instructions in someone else’s script; educators of devised performance prefer to practice learning, too, as a generative and creative process that can never be confused with mere memorization. In its usual context, “off book” implies that theater is (literally) authorized by the book—the dramatic text—that represents its essential core or contains its meaning. Yet the “book” is not essential, and the chapters here highlight higher education theater practices that throw away the “book” altogether, creating space for actors and learners to do more than memorize. The conventional rules and hierarchies of theater creation, research, training, and education are not always relevant, or desirable, in these contexts. Instead, the questions and practices that go beyond the “book” matter.
Lively and engaging, Off Book will be a valuable and unique resource for university students, drama educators, theater historians, and practicing devised theater artists.
Edited by:
Heather Fitzsimmons Frey,
Nicola Hyland,
James McKinnon
Imprint: Intellect Books
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: New edition
Dimensions:
Height: 244mm,
Width: 170mm,
ISBN: 9781789387704
ISBN 10: 1789387701
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 18 May 2023
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
List of Figures List of Tables 1. Throw away the Book: Devising and Higher Education – Heather Fitzsimmons Frey, Nicola Hyland and James McKinnon 2. Up Top/Down Low: Devising and Higher Education in Aotearoa New Zealand and Canada – Heather Fitzsimmons Frey and Nicola Hyland PART 1: DEVISING PEDAGOGY: TEACHING TRANSFERABLE TOOLS 3. ‘The Science Behind the Poetry’: Articulating a Pedagogy for Devising in the Tertiary Sector – Lynne Bradley and Steph Kehoe 4. Experiential Learning Theory as a Pedagogical Frame for Devising in the D12Dreaming Project – Sarah Peters 5. Teaching the Cycles REPÈRE: A Conversation with Jacques Lessard – Gabrielle Houle 6. ‘But I’m Not a Drama Teacher’: Devising Identity in Teacher Education Programmes – Kelsey Jacobson 7. Teaching Devising for Young Audiences – Heather Fitzsimmons Frey 8. Devising in the Twenty-First-Century University: Contexts, Constraints and Creative Messiness – Glenn D’Cruz, Rea Dennis, Yoni Prior, Kate Hunter, Louise Morris with Mary Luckhurst (moderator) PART 2: DEVISING FRICTION: ENSEMBLES, INDIVIDUALS AND THE INSTITUTION 9. Climate Change and Devising Theatre Landscapes: A Discussion on the Collaboration and Development of an Ecocritical and Sustainable Performance – Linda Hassall 10. Memories of the Future: The Problem of Devising Contested History in a University Context – Pedro Ilgenfritz and Paul Janman 11. Devising ImPossibility: How to Turn an Early Modern Ending on Its Head in Celebration of Aotearoa New Zealand’s Marriage Equality Act – Megan Evans 12. Devising Exodus – James McKinnon 13. We’re All on this Waka: Utilizing Māori Narrative Forms in Collaborative Devising – Nicola Hyland PART 3: DEVISING (BY) DEGREES 14. Devising with Empathy – Hannah Joyce Banks 15. The Inside Project: Towards a ‘Universal’ Inclusive Theatre Devising Framework for Disabled and Non-Disabled Collaborators – Milly Cooper, Peter Copeman and Stacy Holman Jones 16. The Many Hats of the Applied Theatre (Student) Facilitator: Devising Across the Whole Community – Anita Hallewas 17. Working Together as One: Directing Devised Autobiographical Solo Performance – Sally Richards PART 4: DEVISING BRIDGES: UNIVERSITY–COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 18. Giving – and Taking – Voice: Self-Devising Theatrical Performance with Learning-Disabled Actors – Tony McCaffrey 19. Devising as Research: Challenging Power and Ethics in Methodology through the Onion Theatre Project –Taiwo Afolabi and Leah Tidey 20. Working with Children: Intergenerational Devising Across Institutions – Kerryn Palmer 21. Collaborating with Soldiers in Devising Contact!Unload – George Belliveau and Graham W. Lea 22. Afterwards: A Conversation about Devising and Higher Education in a Post-Pandemic World – Heather Fitzsimmons Frey, Nicola Hyland and James McKinnon Notes on Contributors
Heather Fitzsimmons Frey is an assistant professor of Arts and Cultural Management at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Her research focuses on arts and performance practices for / by / with young people. Nicola Hyland is a senior lecturer and Pouakorangi/Programme Director of the Theatre Programme at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Her research focuses on Indigenous performance, adaptive and hybrid dramaturgy, and devising methodologies. James McKinnon joined the faculty at Quest University Canada in 2018. His teaching and research focus on developing creative and conative skills through adaptation, devised performance, and storytelling.
