Visual & Performing Arts · 12th Grade

Active learning ideas

Devised Theater and Collective Creation

Devised theater demands active, collaborative problem-solving because the ensemble must build both the process and the product simultaneously. Students learn best when they encounter the discipline and rigor required to generate, shape, and curate original material in real time, not after the fact.

• Common Core State Standards
• NCAS: Creating TH.Cr1.1.HSAdv
• NCAS: Performing TH.Pr4.1.HSAdv

• 20–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Collaborative Problem-Solving
• 40 min · Small Groups

Devising Sprint: Image to Scene

Give each group a single evocative photograph and 25 minutes to create a two-minute devised piece that responds to it. The only rule: no words in the first minute. Perform for the class, then discuss what choices were made and how the group arrived at them.

Explain how an ensemble generates original theatrical material.

Facilitation Tip

During Devising Sprint, ask students to set a timer for idea generation but enforce a strict cutoff to model the necessity of disciplined selection in devised work.

What to look for

Facilitate a class discussion using the prompt: 'Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of starting a theater project with a pre-written script versus starting with a devised process. Provide specific examples from your own experiences or observations.'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Collective Authorship Challenges

After a brief reading on a historical devised company (e.g., Complicité, SITI Company), students individually identify the biggest challenge they think collective creation poses, then share with a partner and develop a concrete strategy for addressing it before class discussion.

Analyze the advantages and challenges of collective creation in theater.

Facilitation Tip

For Think-Pair-Share, assign roles explicitly: one student summarizes challenges, one proposes solutions, and one tracks time to keep the conversation productive.

What to look for

Present students with a hypothetical theme (e.g., 'The impact of social media on personal identity'). Ask them to individually brainstorm and list three distinct methods an ensemble could use to generate initial material for a devised piece based on this theme.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Collaborative Problem-Solving
• 45 min · Small Groups

Framework Design: Project Blueprint

Small groups design a complete devising framework for a 20-minute original piece on an assigned theme: defining the generation process, decision-making structure, selection criteria, and timeline. Groups present their frameworks and the class votes on which is most likely to produce strong work, with justification.

Design a framework for a devised theater project based on a specific theme.

Facilitation Tip

In Framework Design, require each group to submit a one-page ‘rulebook’ for their process before they begin generating material, ensuring they plan their structure rather than retrofitting it later.

What to look for

In small groups, have students present a brief outline of a devised theater project concept. Each group member will provide constructive feedback on the clarity of the theme, the feasibility of the proposed generation methods, and the potential for collective creation.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 04

• Collaborative Problem-Solving
• 20 min · Small Groups

Reflection Protocol: What We Made and How

After any devised piece, use a structured reflection protocol: each ensemble member writes one thing they contributed, one thing they wish they had contributed, and one thing the group discovered that surprised them. Share in a circle and identify what this reveals about the ensemble's creative process.

Explain how an ensemble generates original theatrical material.

Facilitation Tip

During Reflection Protocol, use sentence stems to guide responses, such as ‘One rule we followed consistently was…’ to push students beyond vague reflections.

What to look for

Facilitate a class discussion using the prompt: 'Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of starting a theater project with a pre-written script versus starting with a devised process. Provide specific examples from your own experiences or observations.'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should treat devised theater as a laboratory where process and product are inseparable, not a free-for-all. Research shows that ensembles thrive when they establish clear frameworks early, so avoid the trap of ‘waiting to see what emerges’ before setting constraints. Model curatorial decision-making by making tough cuts in front of students and naming the criteria you use, so they learn to value rigor over sentimentality.

Students will demonstrate their understanding by creating focused, curated material from open-ended prompts and articulating the structure that holds their work together. Success looks like ensembles that balance generative freedom with disciplined selection and can explain their choices clearly.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Devising Sprint, some students may assume that more ideas automatically lead to better work, without recognizing the need for disciplined selection.

  Use the timed generation phase to collect a large volume of material, then immediately shift to a forced-choice exercise where students must discard half of their ideas based on criteria like ‘Does this advance the theme?’ or ‘Does this serve the ensemble’s energy?’

• During Think-Pair-Share, students might assume that all contributions are equally valuable and should be kept in the final work.

  Structure the pair discussion to include a ‘red light/green light’ filter: students must justify why each idea is either essential or discardable, using the criteria the class established earlier in the process.

• During Framework Design, students may believe that devised theater lacks structure and that the director’s role is unnecessary.

  Require groups to design a role for a ‘process guardian’ whose job is to monitor the group’s adherence to its own rules and make final decisions when the ensemble is deadlocked, modeling the director’s curatorial authority.

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Methods used in this brief

• Collaborative Problem-Solving
• Think-Pair-Share