‘Dr. Radosavljević has an excellent and extensive grasp of her subject, and deep understanding of not only the history of these groups, but how they function, and how each contributes to the field of ensemble theatre.’ – David Crespy, University of Missouri, USA Questions of ensemble – what it is, how it works – are both inherent to a variety of Western theatre traditions, and re-emerging and evolving in striking new ways in the twenty-first century. The Contemporary Ensemble draws together an unprecedented range of original interviews with world-renowned theatre-makers in order to directly address both the former and latter concerns. Reflecting on ‘the ensemble way of working’ within this major new resource are figures including: Michael Boyd, Hermann Wündrich, Yuri Butusov, Max Stafford-Clark, Elizabeth LeCompte, Lyn Gardner, Adriano Shaplin, Phelim McDermott; and Emma Rice; representing companies including: The RSC; The Berliner Ensemble; The Satirikon Theatre; Out of Joint; The Wooster Group; Kneehigh Theatre; Song of the Goat; The Riot Group; The Neo-Futurists; Shadow Casters; and Ontroerend Goed. All 22 interviews were conducted especially for the collection, and draw upon the author’s rich background working as scholar, educator and dramaturg with a variety of ensembles. The resulting compendium radically re-situates the ensemble in the context of globalisation, higher education and simplistic understandings of ‘text-based’ and ‘devised’ theatre practice, and traces a compelling new line through the contemporary theatre landscape.
Author(s): Duška Radosavljević (ed.)
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 2013
Language: English
Pages: 284
City: London and New York
Tags: Theater; Performance Studies; History and Criticism
Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Preface
Introduction
Histories, issues and taxonomies
Definitions of key terms
Selection criteria
Preliminary conclusions
Notes
Bibliography
Themes table
Part I: Redefinitions of ensemble
1.
A ‘contingent community’ in a free market economy
Interview
Bibliography
2. Between the East and the West today
Interview
Bibliography
3.
How the Berliner Ensemble changes with time
Interview
Bibliography
4.
Directing as an art of composition
Interview
Note
Bibliography
5.
A tried and tested ensemble methodology
Interview
Bibliography
6.
‘A group of people around a place’
Interview
Note
Bibliography
7.
On regional theatre-making
Interview
Note
Bibliography
Part II: Working Processes
8. Beyond
words
Interview
Note
Bibliography
9.
From a community to the West End
Interview
Bibliography
10.
On being an ensemble actor in the UK
Interview
Bibliography
11.
An actor’s journey between Wales and Wroclaw
Interview
Bibliography
12.
‘Comic figures repurposed’
Interview
Bibliography
13.
Ensemble as a musical ‘intersubjective unit’
Interview
Note
Bibliography
14.
Working together in Northern Ireland
Interview
Bibliography
15.
On writing and performance in an ensemble
Interview
Bibliography
Part III: Ensemble and the Audience
16.
Sharing the experience of imagination
Interview
References
17.
An interactive ensemble
Interview
Bibliography
18.
‘Creating safe emergencies’
Interview
References
19.
The dramaturgy of long-term cross-cultural collaboration
Interview
References
20.
Ensemble as a tool of civic engagement
Interview
Notes
Bibliography
21.
On courting the audience
Interview
References
22.
Towards a global ensemble
Interview
Note
Bibliography
Index
