Devising Performance

Devising Performance: A Critical History, by Deirdre Heddon and Jane Milling, is a comprehensive and essential survey of the development of collaborative, non-text-based theater making in the 20th and 21st centuries. Published in 2005 (with updated editions), the book provides a rigorous historical and theoretical framework for the practice of 'devising': a process where the performance is generated by a company of artists through improvisation, physical exploration, and research, rather than by a single playwright.

The authors trace the lineage of devising from the revolutionary avant-garde movements of the early 20th century to the political theater of the 1960s and 70s, and into the diverse landscapes of contemporary performance art. They examine the work of influential companies like The Living Theatre, The Open Theater, Complicité, and Forced Entertainment. The book provides a deep analysis of the social and political motivations that drive artists to choose devising over traditional methods, looking at themes of democracy, collective identity, and the subversion of institutional power. Heddon and Milling move beyond the 'how' of the process to explore the 'why,' looking at the theoretical implications of the 'authorless' text.

The work is structured thematically, with sections exploring the relationship between devising and physical theater, social activism, site-specific performance, and autobiography. Devising Performance is a vital academic text that situates the practice of improvisational creation within the broader history of the theatrical arts, providing a much-needed intellectual foundation for a process that is often described as 'magic' or 'mysterious.'

Devising Performance is regarded as the definitive text on the history and theory of the practice. Critics praise Heddon and Milling for their meticulous research and their ability to weave disparate movements into a cohesive narrative. The book is frequently described as a 'cornerstone' for any library dedicated to contemporary theater studies. While it is an academic work, its clear prose and vivid case studies make it an engaging and essential read for any artist committed to the collective creation of performance.