Praxis 6: Everyone Can – Devising methods for creating theatre with actor-creators with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD)

Location: PNX140

Abstract:

The Creative Community Experience (CCE) is an ensemble of actor-creators with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) affiliated with the non-profit organization Community Living Windsor. This praxis workshop introduces participants to the devising methodologies employed in the creation of The Big Production, a collaboratively devised performance developed by the CCE. The session will guide attendees through three core components that shaped the ensemble’s creative process: (1) Community Building, involving the co-construction of a Community Contract and the use of ensemble-based games; (2) Devising Strategies, incorporating prop transformation, improvisational frameworks, and the integration of participants’ individual interests and competencies; and (3) Performative Practices, emphasizing the fluid, multilayered role of the Actor-Creator-Improviser-Facilitator.

These approaches intentionally disrupt conventional theatrical hierarchies—such as rigid actor–director divisions or text-based rehearsal processes—by foregrounding agency, adaptability, and collaborative authorship. The workshop aims to demonstrate how such methods not only expand creative access for actor-creators with IDD but also cultivate broader personal and interpersonal capacities, including confidence, communication, and social engagement.

No formal theatre training is required; participants need only a willingness to contribute ideas, move, and improvise. The workshop is designed for an open studio environment with chairs arranged for collective discussion. It accommodates 15–20 active participants, with observers welcome to sit along the periphery and engage at a distance if preferred.

Requirements

No formal theatre training is required; participants need only a willingness to contribute ideas, move, and improvise.

The workshop is designed for an open studio environment with chairs arranged for collective discussion.

It accommodates 15–20 active participants, with observers welcome to sit along the periphery and engage at a distance if preferred.

Biographies:

Allison (Alice) Nelson (she/her) is a MAD (MDD) theatre educator, deviser, director, playwright, puppeteer, and clown. An Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Arlington, she conducts practice as research with diverse communities, and brings extensive experience in physical theatreand arts education across Canada and the United States.