A Stage of Our Own: Women in Devised Theatre in Aotearoa New Zealand

Women have been at the forefront of devised theatre since it became a prevalent method of making in New Zealand in the 1970s, and yet they are underrepresented in our history and discourse. Many scholars have written about the connection between women and devised theatre. In 2016, Syssoyeva and Proudfit went so far as to say that “The history of modern theatre is a history of collaborative methods and the history of collaborative methods is a women’s history” (5). However, almost no literature exists in New Zealand about women in devised theatre. My PhD thesis begins that research. It originates from my experience as a woman theatre practitioner and investigates the perceived tension between our undocumented history and the problematic experiences of women in devising today. This paper will explore my findings, focusing on my practice as research where my collaborators and I devised a series of showings exploring gendered behaviour in devising processes. This paper argues that the lack of knowledge about our own history, and the scarcity of documentation in our industry means that it is difficult for practitioners to learn from one another, to progress the conversation, and to create devising spaces that are free from oppression.