Visual & Performing Arts · 11th Grade · Interdisciplinary Arts: Collaboration and Fusion · Weeks 28-36

Collaborative Performance Creation

Students work in groups to devise original performance pieces that integrate multiple art forms.

• Common Core State Standards
• NCAS: Creating TH.Cr3.1.HSAcc
• NCAS: Performing DA.Pr4.1.HSAcc

About This Topic

Devising original performance work in a group is one of the most demanding and rewarding things students can do in a high school arts class. Unlike performing an existing script, devised work requires a group to generate ideas, negotiate them, build them into something coherent, and then perform the result -- all while maintaining the relationships that make continued collaboration possible. This topic places those skills at the center of the curriculum.

In the US K-12 context, this work connects to NCAS standards for both creating and performing across disciplines. Students study devising methodologies used by professional companies like SITI Company, Complicite, and Pilobolus, understanding that there are structured approaches to collaborative creation, not just improvisation. They learn to document their process, iterate on early attempts, and reflect on group dynamics as part of the artistic work itself.

Active learning is not optional in this topic -- the entire project structure is collaborative and iterative by definition. Structured protocols for idea generation, conflict resolution, and progress review make the collaboration equitable and productive rather than dominated by the loudest voice or fastest idea.

Key Questions

1. Explain the dynamics of successful artistic collaboration.
2. Construct a collaborative performance piece from an initial concept.
3. Assess the strengths and weaknesses of interdisciplinary creative processes.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze the effectiveness of different devising methodologies (e.g., SITI Company's viewpoints, Complicite's physical storytelling) in generating original performance material.
• Synthesize diverse artistic elements (movement, text, sound, visual design) into a cohesive, original performance piece through group collaboration.
• Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of interdisciplinary creative processes, identifying specific challenges and successful strategies within their own collaborative work.
• Construct a performance piece from an initial concept, demonstrating iterative development and refinement based on group feedback and artistic goals.

Before You Start

Introduction to Theatrical Elements

Why: Students need a foundational understanding of dramatic structure, character development, and stagecraft before they can begin to devise their own pieces.

Principles of Movement and Choreography

Why: Familiarity with basic choreographic concepts and the expressive potential of the body is necessary for integrating dance into devised work.

Elements of Music and Sound Design

Why: Students should have some awareness of how sound and music function in performance to effectively incorporate them into their creations.

Key Vocabulary

Devising	A collaborative process where a group of artists creates original performance material without relying on a pre-existing script, often through improvisation, research, and structured exploration.
Interdisciplinary Arts	The integration of two or more distinct art forms, such as theater, dance, music, visual art, or digital media, within a single creative work.
Ensemble	A group of performers who work together closely, emphasizing collective creation and shared responsibility over individual star turns.
Process Documentation	The systematic recording of a creative project's development, including idea generation, rehearsals, design choices, and group discussions, often used for reflection and assessment.
Negotiation	The act of discussing and reaching agreements within a collaborative group, essential for resolving creative differences and making collective decisions.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Collaborative creation means everyone agrees on everything.

What to Teach Instead

Students often enter group projects with the assumption that conflict means failure. Professional devising companies depend on productive disagreement to push work past the obvious. Role rotation activities and structured decision-making protocols show students that managed disagreement is a creative tool, not a problem to eliminate from the process.

Common Misconception

The most outgoing student should lead the devising process.

What to Teach Instead

Strong group performance often comes from quieter students who notice what others miss. Structured devising roles that rotate leadership -- and that value the scribe and critic as much as the director -- help students see that different kinds of intelligence contribute to devised work. Groups that discover this tend to produce richer material.

Active Learning Ideas

Structured Devising Session: Constraints-Based Creation

Groups receive a set of three constraints (a specific emotion, a physical movement, and a found sound) and have 15 minutes to devise a short performance piece that incorporates all three. Groups perform and receive structured feedback before using that feedback to revise for a second showing, making the iteration cycle visible.

50 min·Small Groups

Role Rotation: Process Documentation

During a devising session, each group assigns rotating roles: director (makes final decisions when the group is stuck), scribe (documents ideas and changes), timekeeper (tracks session goals), and critic (voices doubts constructively). After the session, groups debrief on how the roles affected the work and what they noticed about their own collaboration patterns.

40 min·Small Groups

Gallery Walk: Devising Methodologies

Posted around the room are brief descriptions of five devising methodologies used by professional companies. Students rotate, read, and mark which approach most appeals to them and which concerns them. The class then discusses which methods might suit their project and why, building shared language for the collaboration ahead.

25 min·Whole Class

Real-World Connections

• Theater companies like The Wooster Group or Elevator Repair Service regularly devise original works, drawing from literature, history, and contemporary issues, which are then performed in venues like St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn.
• Choreographers such as Martha Graham or Merce Cunningham developed distinct methodologies for creating dance pieces, often collaborating with composers and visual artists to build unique performance experiences.
• Improvisational comedy troupes, like The Second City in Chicago, train performers in collaborative creation techniques, generating spontaneous scenes and characters that form the basis of their shows.

Assessment Ideas

Peer Assessment

During a work-in-progress showing, have groups present a 5-minute excerpt. After the presentation, provide each group with a feedback form asking: 'Identify one moment where the integration of art forms was most successful and explain why.' and 'Suggest one specific way the group could further develop the narrative or thematic clarity.'

Exit Ticket

At the end of a rehearsal focused on conflict resolution, ask students to write on an index card: 'Describe one specific strategy your group used today to navigate a creative disagreement, and state one thing you learned about effective artistic negotiation.'

Quick Check

After introducing a new devising technique (e.g., 'object work' from Complicite), ask students to jot down in their process journals: 'How could this technique be applied to our current project concept? List at least two specific ideas.'

Frequently Asked Questions

What is devised theater in high school?

Devised theater is performance work created by the ensemble rather than adapted from an existing script. Students generate their own material through structured improvisation, research, movement, and collaborative editing. The process is as much the product as the final performance, and students are expected to document and reflect on how decisions were made throughout the creation period.

How do I manage group conflict during collaborative performance creation?

Build conflict management into the structure rather than treating it as a crisis. Assign rotating roles so no one person controls all decisions. Use structured feedback protocols where critique must be specific and constructive. Check in with groups mid-process to surface problems early. Most conflict in devised work comes from unclear expectations, which structure can resolve before it becomes personal.

How does active learning strengthen collaborative performance creation?

Every element of this topic is active by definition -- students are generating, testing, performing, and revising together. The value of active learning protocols here is making the collaboration equitable: structured devising exercises ensure that ideas from quieter students get into the room, and role rotation prevents any single student from dominating the creative direction of the group.

How do I assess individual contributions in a group devised piece?

Use a combination of process documentation (journals, scribes' notes, video of work sessions), self-assessment, and peer assessment to build a picture of individual contribution. The final performance is only part of the grade. Students who generate key ideas, solve logistical problems, or hold the group's process together should receive credit for that work even if they don't have the largest role on stage.