Ensemble Theatre Making is the first comprehensive diagnostic handbook for building, caring for and maintaining ensemble. Successful ensembles don't happen by chance; they must be created, nurtured and maintained through specific actions. Achieving common goals in rehearsal and performance requires group trust, commitment, and sacrifice. ETM is a step-by-step guide to these processes.
Candid and direct, it includes:
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how to plan and prepare for ensemble work
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the essential building blocks of ensemble
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how to identity ensemble behaviors
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techniques for responding to and positively redirecting behaviors
Tools, techniques and recipes for rethinking ensemble redefine it as a grounded practice, rather than a question of luck. Above all, this significant new work brings decades of experience to the sometimes mystifying questions of what creates ensemble bonds, how to protect them, and how to fix them when they break.
“…it’s an enjoyable read. The authors’ breezy, conversational tone falls somewhere between Keith Johnstone’s Impro and Charna Halpern, Del Close and Kim Johnson’s Truth in Comedy. Two classic guides to improvisation that this book nicely complements.”
–– American Theatre Magazine
ETM is a candid, warm, and user-friendly encapsulation of Rose and David's generous, life-changing approach to creating theatre through collaborative sensibilities. Rich with anecdotes and exercises that are easy to implement in any acting (or non-acting!) classroom, this text is a must for all teachers eager to make a case for how coming together as a group can lead to better art and a better world.
–– Steve Kaliski, Davidson College, North Carolina
This book is an excellent resource for every theatre artist and teacher. It not only helps pinpoint areas of trouble and give suggestions for improvement for existing ensembles, it can also help leaders choose the right people to create a new ensemble. The exercises and practical nature of this book will make an an indispensable tool.
–– Joelle Re Arp Dunham, University of Georgia
I use this book ALL the time!! Ensemble is the core of all work relationships, whether its corporate America or the theater this book could be used for any leadership or group building workshops.
–– Sofiya Cheyenne, teaching artist, New Victory Theatre