Collective Creation

Collective Creation, theatrical process whereby a group of persons working together develop a production from initial concept to finished performance through research, discussion, improvisation, writing, and rehearsal. This process, which became the typical method of the alternative theatre movement of the 1960s and early 1970s, appears to have much in common with the way the commedia dell'arte companies worked; and actor-playwrights such as Shakespeare and Molière collaborated with other members of their companies in the productions of their plays.

At first some of the theatre groups of the 1960s were so idealistic that everyone did everything regardless of skill or interest. The process by which works were created was often considered more important than the finished product because it was in keeping with the anti-authoritarian and anti-specialization mood current among young people. However, as idealism gave way to greater pragmatism in the mid-1970s, the strict democratic principles of the method gave way to more practical ways of distributing responsibility.

Theatre collectives have varied greatly in their structures. From the beginning the Living Theatre was directed by Julian Beck and Judith Malina, who made most of the important decisions, but other members were encouraged to participate in the creative process. Joseph Chaikin was the director of the Open Theater throughout its 10 years, but the productions were created by the entire group under his guidance. The San Francisco Mime Troupe, a political theatre troupe formed in 1959, no longer publicly identified actors, directors, or writers after its director was replaced by a collective organization; one or more members were assigned to write scripts and others to direct within guidelines determined by the group. The early productions of the Performance Group, founded in New York in 1967, were developed under its founder-director Richard Schechner (1934– ), who guided improvisations which were the chief means used by the group to create material which was then shaped by Schechner. In England members of the People Show, formed in 1966, often worked independently on a forthcoming production and then integrated the separate contributions. In Welfare State International, formed in 1968, members of the company were responsible for sculptural elements within the general ‘event’ or ‘celebration’ devised by the two directors. In the Pip Simmons Theatre Group, also formed in 1968, Simmons served both as writer and director, but was open to the ideas of others in the company.