Polyvocal Playwriting and the Evolution in New Play Development: Examples from the EU Collective Play Project

Main Article Content

Abstract

Discusses the largest experiment perhaps in the history of contemporary playwriting: The EU Collective Play Project. Over 50 playwrights are involved across 8 projects from 12 countries, writing collectively, and developing works that are hybrids, polyvocal in design and execution, and earmarked for production and publication. Funded by the EU consortium on the arts, the project was initiated in 2015 and the author of this article is serving as the editor/curator of the project. This paper explores two works in particular that the author has been involved with directly: Darkness by the Nordic group, and Narcissus based on the cult classic, Pink Narcissus from the 1970s, in essence showing the range of approaches in the EUCP. These findings demonstrate new techniques of play development differing from standard American models, exploring how multiple authors can collaborate across multiple drafts of a playscript while maintaining individual voices. The article closes with several thoughts on the implications of polyvocal, collective playwriting. The EUCP represents an evolution in how we make and develop new works for the stage.

Article Details

Section
Articles