In this course, students will put into practice the collaborative, adaptive, and embodied methodologies of devising a new one-act performance as an ensemble. In Spring ‘27 we will focus on collectively creating an immersive performance throughout Alumnae Hall inspired by a work in the public domain: Alice in Wonderland! Our company of students - blending and sharing roles of actor, writer, director and designer, with the guidance of Theatre Studies faculty - will take inspiration from the examples of renowned contemporary global theatre experimentation from Ping Chong to Pig Iron, Pina Bausch to Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More, whose work among others’ we will investigate. Bringing their individual strengths to the process, students will learn how to build a production together in a practice distinct from rehearsing an existing dramatic text, through scenographic world-building, game, improvisation, dramaturgical research, sound and image collage, group gesture, collaborative writing, and more. Skills applied in this unique production process will embolden our “curiouser and curiouser” students to become autonomous, multi-hyphenate and boundless artists and collaborators in the world, and dive down the devising rabbit hole to bring an unforgettable and unreproducible production to our community!

PLEASE NOTE: Students registered for THST 355 in Spring 2027 can elect to apply with the Theatre Studies program to extend their Spring semester’s experiential learning through a department-sponsored research trip in mid-June 2027 to the largest international event in the field of scenography, performance design and space: the Prague Quadrennial in Czechia. There, THST 355 students will have the unique opportunity to engage with global creative teams, who will demonstrate how they professionally practice the exciting provocation of devising performance spaces. And for a historical perspective, they will visit the best preserved Baroque theatre in Europe in nearby Český Krumlov. Access to apply for this experience is limited to SP27 THST 355 participants.

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 12

Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor. Strong consideration will be given to students who have completed THST 204, THST 221, THST 306, THST 345, or equivalent.

Distribution Requirements: ARS - Visual Arts, Music, Theater, Film and Video

Typical Periods Offered: Every other year

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered

Notes: This course is for the advanced theatre student with previous acting/dance/production training. The expectation is that they will take on the collaborative creative and research responsibilities of devising a one-act performance as an ensemble by bringing their individual strengths to the process.