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Devising Original Theater

Eleventh graders learn to devise original theater — building a piece from scratch as an ensemble through brainstorming, improvisation, structuring, scripting, and rehearsal — the most collaborative form of theater-making.

Grade 11Devising55 minutes1 class periodArtistic ProcessExplicit teaching4 StandardsNCAS
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explain devising.
  • ✓Generate material.
  • ✓Order the steps.
  • ✓Create as an ensemble.
Essential Question

What if you didn’t start with a script — you CREATED one, together, from an idea? That’s devising. How does it work?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Put in Order · Interactive

Order the Devising Steps

Project this and have students put the devising steps in order.

🎭 Put the devising steps in order!Try it
Tap the first step!
The Lesson · Artistic Process (Warm-Up · Explore · Rehearse · Perform · Reflect)

55 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Create, Don’t Start With a Script

6 min

What if you CREATED a script together from an idea? That’s devising — how?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a devised piece.
  • Ask how it was made.
  • Warm up.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Watch.
  • Wonder.
  • Warm up.
2

Explore — Devising

13 min

Students explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Order the Devising Steps.
  • Order them.
  • Note improvising material.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Order.
  • Note it.
  • Name.
3

Rehearse — Rehearse

15 min

Students rehearse.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Brainstorm a theme.
  • Improvise material.
  • Structure the best bits.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Brainstorm.
  • Improvise.
  • Structure.
4

Perform — Perform

13 min

Students perform.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Perform a devised moment.
  • Show the ensemble.
  • Give critique.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Perform it.
  • Ensemble.
  • Critique.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students respond.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name the first step.
  • Explain devising.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name it.
  • Explain it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the National Core Arts Standards (Theatre, HS Advanced).

NCAS
TH:Cr1.1.HSIII

Devise original material.

NCAS
TH:Cr2.1.HSIII

Collaborate as an ensemble.

NCAS
TH:Cr3.1.HSIII

Refine a devised work.

NCAS
TH:Pr6.1.HSIII

Present devised theater.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Devising-step cards.
  • Sentence frame: “First ___, then ___.”
  • Use a devised example.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with brainstorm and rehearse.
  • Order two at a time.
  • Improvise briefly.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Devise a full short piece.
  • Explain ensemble roles.
  • Structure from improv.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 🎭Open space
  • 💻Order the Devising Steps
  • 📝Notebooks
  • ✏️Pens
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

devisingcreating theater from scratchensemblethe whole groupbrainstormto generate ideasimproviseto make up materialstructureto shape materialscriptthe written piececollaborateto create togetherrefineto improve
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What is a good FIRST step in devising?
Brainstorm a theme, story, or question to explore.
QUESTION 2
How do you generate material when devising?
Improvise as a group.
QUESTION 3
What is devised theater?
Original theater a group creates from scratch.

Reflect: create together.

Have students brainstorm a theme for a devised piece and one image or moment to explore. A printable devising sheet is in the Arts library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Devising Original TheaterFlip
Card 1
Term
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Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Devising Original TheaterQuiz
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1 / 6
Question 1
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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Devising Original TheaterPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: brainstorm, collaborate, devising, ensemble, improvise, refine, script, structure
  1. to make up material
  2. to create together
  3. the written piece
  4. to generate ideas
  5. to improve
  6. creating theater from scratch
  7. the whole group
  8. to shape material

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What is a good FIRST step in devising?
  2. How do you generate material when devising?
  3. What is devised theater?
Answer key — Part A: 1) improvise · 2) collaborate · 3) script · 4) brainstorm · 5) refine · 6) devising · 7) ensemble · 8) structure
Part B: 1) Brainstorm a theme, story, or question to explore. 2) Improvise as a group. 3) Original theater a group creates from scratch.