Negotiating creativity: an analytical framework for the study of group theatre-making processes

This thesis serves two functions. Firstly, it proposes a framework for the analysis of theatre making processes. Such a framework is a necessary prerequisite for further developing the "articulation of process"' currently occupying drama scholarship, especially in relation to forms of practice that cannot be readily accessed through the semiotic model proposed by Patrice Pavis. 2 The second function is to offer a partial survey of post-war British devised theatre practice, an important subject that has yet to receive much serious analysis. Using the analytical framework, this thesis begins to map out this "sprawling, fragmentary ,3 and relatively uncharted territory and prepares the ground for further critical works.

Part I of the thesis reviews the current knowledge on devising practice then introduces the analytical framework. Part II identifies seven models of devising process that relate to specific traditions and areas of post-war British practice. The case-studies of Part III provide detailed analysis of leading devising companies that serves to illustrate selected models of Devising.

This thesis is not intended as a practical guide for devisors: it is primarily a tool for scholarship. In its focus on the processual and interpersonal nature of devising, the framework allows us to take account of the transactional nature of theatre-making, conceived here as a system of creative negotiation. Thus, the thesis not only begins to map out an important field of practice but also proposes a framework for analysis that will have application beyond the scope of this research.