Brilliant theatre-making at the National: Devising, collective creation and the director's brand

Abstract

This article assesses the health of collective creation within British devised theatre in the early part of the twenty-first century. Using the Royal National Theatre as a case study, I argue that while devising has recently enjoyed increased recognition and acceptance, this ‘mainstreaming’ has come at the cost of its identification as a collective practice. Documentation on the creative practices of Théàtre de Complicité, Katie Mitchell and the War Horse (2008) company will demonstrate that devising's shift from the margins to the mainstream of British theatre has resulted in an increasing separation between an ethos of collectivity and a quest for innovative theatrical product.

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