Ensemble-Based Theatre Companies
By: Roundabout Theatre Company Feb. 09, 2015
"In general, our culture is trained to honor the individual genius. But there is such a thing as group genius which is built from the notion that the group can create something entirely unique and powerful and which is distinct from what the individual can create. And it is from this that the ensemble model is built."
-Theresa Chavez, Artistic Director of About Productions, from the 2003 Grantmakers in the Arts Conference
Ensemble-based theatre cannot be cleanly defined. For some companies, the ensemble of artists may change from production to production; for others, a core group of collaborators may always remain the same. Some ensemble companies create work based around a consistent theme, or directed towards a consistent demographic, or told through a consistent set of storytelling mechanisms or aesthetic principles. Some companies devise work from scratch, though the concept of "devised" work is as difficult to define as the concept of ensemble theatre. Some companies create work based on an established text. And some companies (like Fiasco Theater) create work that retains all of the original text but reinterprets its style of presentation.
What ensemble theatre has in common, across its many forms, is a communal, artist-centered approach to theatre-making, in which traditional roles (writer, designer, dramaturg, actor, director) emerge out of the creative process (or not at all) rather than being rigidly imposed upon it. Though a hierarchical structure may eventually take shape (in fact, many ensemble-based companies cite the importance of one directorial vision), the collaborators in an ensemble company often wear many hats, or different hats at different steps in the process. Time is also an important part of the ensemble process: while "traditional" theatre companies often devote only four to six weeks to rehearsal, ensemble-based companies may create a theatre piece over many months-or even years.
Below is a brief sampling of some well-known ensemble theatre companies. Each listing is accompanied by a snippet of the company's mission statement or philosophy, evidence of the richly varied landscape of ensemble-based work-a landscape that, in the last half-decade, has been rapidly expanding throughout the United States.
The TEAM
Brooklyn, New York
"We combine aggressive athleticism with emotional performances and intellectual rigor, keeping the brain, eyes and heart of the audience constantly stimulated...We devise plays by examining a wealth of material, ranging from existing texts (fiction, theory, drama, etc.) to images taken from visual art and film, and then combining that research with original writing and staging."
Notable Production: MISSION DRIFT
Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Chicago, Illinois
"Steppenwolf's artistic force remains rooted in the original vision of its founders: an artist-driven theater, whose vitality is defined by its sharp appetite for groundbreaking, innovative work."
Notable Production: AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY
Dog and Pony DC
Washington, DC
"We believe: The audience completes our ensemble. A highly collaborative, necessarily exhaustive and inefficient process ensures the most enduring ideas reach their fullest potential. The playfulness and generosity of the invitation to our collaborators amplifies the impact of the work."
Notable Production: BEERTOWN
Elevator Repair Service
New York, New York
"ERS's theater pieces are built around a broad range of subject matter and literary forms; they combine elements of slapstick comedy, hi-tech and lo-tech design, both literary and found text, and the group's own highly developed style of choreography."
Notable Production: GATZ
Lookingglass Theatre Company
Chicago, Illinois
"Lookingglass uses visual metaphor, gesture and daring theatricality to create transcendent staging. Fiction and non-fiction are converted into stage pieces. Actors are often required to play multiple characters outside their traditional range."
Notable Production: LOOKINGGLASS ALICE
Into the Woods is now playing at the Laura Pels Theatre through April 12. For more information and tickets, please visit our website.
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