Scott Proudfit, Assistant Professor of English at Elon University, released a new book in October, 2016. Women, Collective Creation, and Devised Performance was co-edited by Proudfit and Kathryn Madeiros Syssoyeva of Dixie State University. In addition to editing this book, Proudfit also authored the introduction and the chapter “From Neva Boyd to Viola Spolin: How Social Group Work in 1920s’ Settlement Houses Defined Collective Creation in 1960s’ Theatres.”
Collective creation – a central focus of the book – is the creation of theatre through the collaboration between members of the group. Devised theatre occurs when theatre makers originate a performance without a script. “Women, Collective Creation, and Devised Performance” argues that collective creation is crucial to the development of the modern theatre. This book highlights the importance of women in theatre and asserts that they must be fully credited with developing the practices of collective creation since the early 20th century.
Proudfit’s book consists of twenty-essays written by a group of international scholars. This particular volume continues the work of Proudfit’s other books, also published by Plagrave Macmillan. Proudfit’s previous books, A History of Collective Creation and Collective Creation in Contemporary Performance and A History of Collective Creation, also discuss the importance of collective creation in theatre. Many believed that collective creation was a movement that occurred exclusively during the 1960s. However, according to Proudfit and Syssoyeva, collective creation is an ongoing movement that emerged from Europe and North America around 1900 and continues to present day.
Women, Collective Creation, and Devised Performance is available at most major outlets, including amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.