ABSTRACT
In this praxis essay, I explore the way in which I include and utilize elements of creativity theory and creativity approaches in the hopes of providing new tools fostering discovery and collaboration for training innovative theatre artists of the future. By incorporating creativity methods, we strive to move past more stringent constraints of right and wrong to encourage artists to feel comfortable sharing ideas, leading discussions, and embracing new ways of working with creative partners. This approach encourages us to engage with through how we think and allows for brainstorming and adjudicating ideas, as well as collaboration. To situate ourselves into conversations relating to new theatrical forms, we first need push for innovative thinking. Thinking experimentally allows theatre students to push past preconceived notions of their abilities and sets them up to succeed in the ever-changing landscape of theatre. To facilitate this approach, I use drafting and revising of ideas, team-based approaches to brainstorming and idea generation, and reflection, which supports the idea of being closer to “right,” but not the duality of right and wrong. In this essay, I provide step-by-step exercises for working through and promoting creative thinking in a theatrical context.
