Hear Me Roar: Using Devised Theatre to Amplify the Voice of a Community

Devised theatre is a process of new play development that is based in the ensemble and what each member brings with them. The process for the devised piece, Hear Me Roar, was no different, with the additional goal of bringing together a small and diverse community of women to create a show about women. The production was developed through a community-based approach to devised theatre and drew heavily from the work of Cornerstone Theatre Company.
Hear Me Roar was developed and performed earlier this year and explored the ideas, stories, and experiences of a community of women. The show started only from an idea, and through the collaboration of the ensemble, five women were able to give voice to their community. The production discussed love, sex, consent, assault, grief, laughter, heartbreak, and redemption. The devising process was used to create the pieces written for the show and, more importantly, to facilitate community engagement and discussion.
This presentation will focus on the use of devising to facilitate discussions within the community of women involved in the production. The presenter will discuss the generative rehearsal process and how the process was used to strengthen the community and to create safe and inclusive discussions of community issues.

Jay Epps, ’16
Saint Louis, MO

Theatre

Sponsor: Janeve West