The director of devised theatre: facilitating, collaboration, ownership and empowerment

Wilson, Harry Robert (2012) The director of devised theatre: facilitating, collaboration, ownership and empowerment. MPhil(R) thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

The relationship between collective theatre-making and the necessary yet problematic role of a director figure are indicative of a tension involved in devised theatre practices. As Deirdre Heddon and Jane Milling identify, the director’s function within devising practices ‘complicate[s] the notion of non-hierarchical work of democratic participation’. As such, this thesis aims to further develop and understand the role of the director within a collaborative environment. To investigate the inherent complexities and contradictions of the director’s function within collaborative practices it is necessary to ask; What is the role of the director in devised theatre? is director even the right word? What might a model of directing for collaborative practices entail? How might the director facilitate this (supposed) collaboration? What stakes of ownership are deployed in the work created in collaborative devising contexts? How is devised theatre written? Can/should we attribute authorship to anyone in this process? Through answering the above questions this thesis will contribute to a more nuanced investigation into the distinct relationships involved in the making of contemporary theatre. By asking what the role of the director in contemporary collaborative devised performance is and exploring how they might facilitate collaboration, ownership and empowerment, I wish to place importance on the distinct job of the director within collaborative theatre-making.

• Item Type: Thesis (MPhil(R))
• Qualification Level: Masters
• Keywords: devised theatre, devising, directing, director, contemporary theatre, collaboration, ownership, empowerment
• Subjects: P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN2000 Dramatic representation. The Theater; N Fine Arts > NX Arts in general
• Colleges/Schools: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Culture and Creative Arts > Theatre Film and TV Studies
• Supervisor's Name: Heddon, Dr. Deirdre and Price, Dr. Victoria
• Date of Award: 2012
• Depositing User: Mr Harry R Wilson
• Unique ID: glathesis:2012-3382
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 12 Jun 2012
• Last Modified: 10 Dec 2012 14:06
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/3382