Devising Drama
What's covered
Key facts
A devising log is the written record a candidate keeps to document the process of creating a devised performance.
In AQA's Component 2 students must produce both a devised performance and an individual written devising log/portfolio.
Forum Theatre was developed by the Brazilian theatre practitioner Augusto Boal in the 1970s.
Contact improvisation is an unscripted technique in which two or more performers make, share and respond to physical contact and weight, building trust and dynamic relationships.
The evaluation section assesses how well the original intentions were achieved and what could be improved.
An AQA Component 2 portfolio must document artistic intentions, the devising process, and a critical evaluation of the outcome.
Like Brecht's epic theatre, Boal's work uses theatre to raise political consciousness and prompt the audience towards real-world action.
Of Laban's eight effort actions, Float is the one that is sustained (slow) and indirect (flexible) — combining light weight, sustained time and indirect space.
The intentions/initial-ideas section explains the candidate's creative goals for the piece and how they planned to achieve them.
A devising process typically moves through stimulus → exploration → structuring → polishing → evaluating.
Sample questions
A taste of the 46 questions in this topic, answers marked. Sign up to practise the full set with spaced repetition.
What three phases of the devising process must an OCR devising log document?
- ✓Intentions, realisation and evaluation
- •Research notes, rehearsal reflections and marketing materials
- •Script analysis, blocking notes and costume sketches
- •Warm-up plans, improvisation logs and final programme
What are the main stages of a devising process in order?
- •Research → write → block → tech → open
- •Script → casting → rehearsal → performance → review
- ✓Stimulus → exploration → structuring → polishing → evaluating
- •Stimulus → script → casting → design → performance
What is the central audience participation mechanic in Forum Theatre?
- ✓Audience member replaces protagonist to try a different solution
- •Audience votes on which ending the performers should use
- •Performers improvise in response to audience heckles and interruptions
- •The director stops the action and explains the political message
What is physical theatre?
- •Theatre based entirely on improvisation with no prepared material
- •Theatre performed outdoors without any technical equipment
- •Theatre that uses puppets or objects instead of live performers
- ✓Theatre where the body is the primary expressive tool
In the OCR devising log, what should the 'intentions' section explain?
- •A list of all rehearsals attended with dates and duration
- ✓The initial creative goals and how you planned to achieve them
- •The names of all performers involved in the final piece
- •The technical equipment used during the performance
What is a stimulus in devising?
- •A character biography written by the director for each role
- •A completed script handed to the company before rehearsals begin
- ✓A starting point that sparks the creative devising process
- •A technical specification issued by the set designer
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