The Devising Process: Directing and Collaboration in The Twelfth Heart

Abstract

The enthusiasm to expand the frontiers of Theatre Studies and practice in Ghana informed the need to conduct this research. Whereas much has been done with the practice and development of text-based theatre, not much can be said about the development and popularity of devised theatre in Ghana. Theatre productions in Ghana are often text-based and fashioned on the conventional hierarchical structure of a director asserting command over the other players in the theatre. The seeming low popularity of devised theatre in Ghana, especially within the tertiary institutions that teach theatre studies, can be attributed to the seeming complexities of the practice, as well as the absence of an academic research on devised theatre in Ghana. Thus this research set out to examine the role of directing and collaboration in devised theatre, as practised in an academic environment. The aim of the research was to dilate the seeming complexities with the role of the director, as well as explore the nature of collaboration in devised theatre. The research used a practice-led methodology, directing for the stage, as the main research apparatus. In addition, the research was framed in a postmodern style to theatre practice, with key components bordering on auteurism, collaborative theatre and cross-art integration. Bert van Dijk’s devising model was applied to devising a performance, using a novel as the source material. Subsequently, the research findings have been analysed, with a recommendation for the praxis of dirvising as a new directorial approach in devised theatre, especially for the practice of devised theatre in academic settings. Also, it is recommended for the Department of Theatre Arts, UG, to institute a devised theatre curriculum to expand its scope of theatre studies and practice. Consequently, devised theatre can serve as an alternative approach to text-based theatre practice, thereby expanding the frontiers of theatre studies and practice in Ghana.