A Beginner's Guide to Devising Theatre - Practical Starter Guide

In this review of A Beginner's Guide to Devising Theatre the bottom line is clear: this book is a practical, accessible manual for anyone starting to make original theatre without a script. Written by Jess Thorpe and Tashi Gore, it focuses on creative methods and a structured approach to find starting points, generate material and shape work into performance. Readers looking for a hands-on introduction to devising will appreciate the clear guidance and contemporary examples, while those seeking in-depth theory or exhaustive case studies may need supplementary texts.

Key Features

• Authorship: Written by practicing directors Jess Thorpe and Tashi Gore, the book brings direct experience from an award-winning young people's company to practical exercises.
• Approach: Offers a clear structure for the devising process so beginners can move from a stimulus to composed performance with confidence.
• Starting points: Provides methods for finding and testing contemporary stimuli so creators can generate original, relevant material from their own perspective.
• Generation techniques: Includes creative activities and prompts that help participants produce raw material suitable for composition and development.
• Composition and design: Talks through shaping material and integrating design ideas, helping practitioners consider form as well as content.
• Target audience: Geared to newcomers and developing practitioners, the tone and examples suit classroom and workshop environments.

Who It's For

The strongest audience for this guide includes drama teachers, workshop leaders and early-career theatre makers who need a practical road map for devising original work. It works well for groups working with young people because the authors draw on experience with a young people's performance company and emphasise accessible starting points and creative exercises.

Those looking for dense academic theory or full-length case studies of major devised productions should look elsewhere; this book is focused on craft and technique rather than exhaustive historiography or scholarly analysis.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Clear, usable structure that demystifies the devising process for beginners.
• Real-world perspective from practitioners, making exercises practical and workshop-friendly.
• Good balance between idea generation and advice on composition and design, helping shape material into performance.

Cons

• Not intended as a comprehensive academic text, so readers wanting deep theory may need additional resources.
• Limited focus on long-form case studies or extensive production histories that some advanced practitioners might seek.

Specifications

Title	A Beginner's Guide to Devising Theatre
Authors	Jess Thorpe, Tashi Gore
Focus	Practical devising methods and structure
Award	Winner, 2021 Music & Drama Education Award for Outstanding Drama Education Resource
Intended audience	Beginners, teachers, workshop leaders
Content highlights	Starting points, material generation, composition and design

Our Verdict

A Beginner's Guide to Devising Theatre is a strong, practical companion for anyone teaching or starting out in devised theatre; it distils professional experience into clear exercises and a reliable structure. For the price it delivers focused, workshop-ready guidance and represents good value for educators and early-career makers who want a hands-on toolkit rather than dense theory.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this book suitable for classroom use?
Yes; the exercises and structure are written with group work and young people in mind, making it well suited to lesson plans and workshops.

Does it include theoretical background on devising?
The emphasis is practical craft and technique; readers seeking extensive academic theory should combine it with more scholarly texts.

Who wrote the book and why does that matter?
It is written by Jess Thorpe and Tashi Gore, artistic directors with hands-on experience in young people's performance, which informs the book's practical, workshop-focused approach.