Preserving and Transmitting American Ensemble-Based Devised Theatre

Devised theatre is a highly collaborative but uniquely fragile artform that has existed for generations in communities across the United States. Despite its proliferation as a professional and educational training practice, it suffers from limited scholarship, criticism, and academic study. This two-week, residential Institute will address that misalignment with a deep examination of company-based devised theatre, past and present. It will foster new collaborations among artists, conservatory faculty, higher education professors of theatre and performance studies, and students, resulting in improved preservation, innovations in teaching, and heightened cultural awareness relating to American ensemble-based devised theatre and its impact over time.