Doing what comes naturally?: Women and devising in the UK today

Alex Mermikides; Jacqueline Smart

doi:10.1057/978-1-137-55013-2_16

Doing what comes naturally? Women and devising in the UK today

Alex Mermikides, Jacqueline Smart

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review

Abstract

In a 1998 essay on devising theatre in the UK, Alison Oddey refers to ‟the seemingly natural relationship between women and devised theatre in the 1970s,” which, she suggests, arose ‟out of a climate which encouraged women to find a voice together through the collective, democratic process of devising.” In this chapter we revisit Oddey‘s claim, analysing how the politics of gender intersect with the material practices of performance-making in the UK today and asking whether the notion that devising is a ‟natural” way for women to work creatively together, retains any credence.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Women, collective creation, and devised performance
Subtitle of host publication	the rise of women theatre artists in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries
Editors	Kathryn M Syssoyeva, Scott Proudfit
Place of Publication	New York, U.S.A.
Publisher	Palgrave Macmillan
Pages	253-267
ISBN (Print)	9781137603272
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-55013-2_16
Publication status	Published - 2016
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Drama, dance and performing arts

Access to Document

10.1057/978-1-137-55013-2_16

http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-55013-2_16

Cite this

@inbook{7257abd2b61b405faa9423b3d7f245ab,

title = "Doing what comes naturally?: Women and devising in the UK today",

abstract = "In a 1998 essay on devising theatre in the UK, Alison Oddey refers to ‟the seemingly natural relationship between women and devised theatre in the 1970s,” which, she suggests, arose ‟out of a climate which encouraged women to find a voice together through the collective, democratic process of devising.” In this chapter we revisit Oddey{\textquoteleft}s claim, analysing how the politics of gender intersect with the material practices of performance-making in the UK today and asking whether the notion that devising is a ‟natural” way for women to work creatively together, retains any credence.",

keywords = "Drama, dance and performing arts",

author = "Alex Mermikides and Jacqueline Smart",

year = "2016",

doi = "10.1057/978-1-137-55013-2\_16",

language = "English",

isbn = "9781137603272",

pages = "253--267",

editor = "Syssoyeva, \{Kathryn M\} and Scott Proudfit",

booktitle = "Women, collective creation, and devised performance",

publisher = "Palgrave Macmillan",

address = "United States",

}

Doing what comes naturally? Women and devising in the UK today. / Mermikides, Alex; Smart, Jacqueline.
Women, collective creation, and devised performance: the rise of women theatre artists in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. ed. / Kathryn M Syssoyeva; Scott Proudfit. New York, U.S.A.: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016. p. 253-267.

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review

TY - CHAP

T1 - Doing what comes naturally?

T2 - Women and devising in the UK today

AU - Mermikides, Alex

AU - Smart, Jacqueline

PY - 2016

Y1 - 2016

N2 - In a 1998 essay on devising theatre in the UK, Alison Oddey refers to ‟the seemingly natural relationship between women and devised theatre in the 1970s,” which, she suggests, arose ‟out of a climate which encouraged women to find a voice together through the collective, democratic process of devising.” In this chapter we revisit Oddey‘s claim, analysing how the politics of gender intersect with the material practices of performance-making in the UK today and asking whether the notion that devising is a ‟natural” way for women to work creatively together, retains any credence.

AB - In a 1998 essay on devising theatre in the UK, Alison Oddey refers to ‟the seemingly natural relationship between women and devised theatre in the 1970s,” which, she suggests, arose ‟out of a climate which encouraged women to find a voice together through the collective, democratic process of devising.” In this chapter we revisit Oddey‘s claim, analysing how the politics of gender intersect with the material practices of performance-making in the UK today and asking whether the notion that devising is a ‟natural” way for women to work creatively together, retains any credence.

KW - Drama, dance and performing arts

U2 - 10.1057/978-1-137-55013-2_16

DO - 10.1057/978-1-137-55013-2_16

M3 - Chapter

SN - 9781137603272

SP - 253

EP - 267

BT - Women, collective creation, and devised performance

A2 - Syssoyeva, Kathryn M

A2 - Proudfit, Scott

PB - Palgrave Macmillan

CY - New York, U.S.A.

ER -

Doing what comes naturally? Women and devising in the UK today

Abstract

Keywords

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Cite this