Working Together in Theatre

This book explores how theater artistry melds the forces of collaboration and leadership, igniting creativity from the first spark of an idea to the climactic curtain call.

It throws the spotlight on the dynamic interplay of roles, covering the collaboration between producer, director, playwright, actor, designer, stage manager, dramaturg, and stage crew. Each chapter illuminates various strategies and insights, revealing how you can harness these transformative techniques on your own journey, crafting spellbinding productions through the power of collective creativity. In this new edition, Joel Veenstra builds upon, updates, and expands on Robert Cohen’s original concepts in the following ways:

- Updated case studies and examples drawn from the combined 75 years of professional theatre-making experience of Cohen and Veenstra, as well as insights from their extensive network of collaborators
- Revised flow and scope to include the collaborator’s worldview, specific practices for creating collaborative milieu from the start, and conflict resolution tools
- Modernized with new research, perspectives, and insights from leadership experts like Brené Brown and Simon Sinek, and team-based organizations like Google and The Second City
- Refreshed exercises to enhance practical understanding and application of the concepts
- Expanded lens for applications beyond the realm of theatre-making to any collaboration
- Revised appendices with recommended digital resources

Robert Cohen (1938-2024), Founding Chair and Professor Emeritus of Drama of the Drama Department at the University of California, Irvine, USA, was a renowned theatre director, playwright, and critic. He authored notable theater books such as Acting Power, Acting One, Advanced Acting, Acting With Shakespeare, and Creative Play Direction, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Theatre in Higher Education.

Joel Veenstra, current Chair of the Drama Department at the University of California, Irvine, USA, specializes in stage management, improvisation, and collaborative production. He served as the Western Regional Director of the Stage Management Association, the national professional organization for stage managers. Veenstra, an active figure in improvisation, co-directs the Global Improvisation Initiative and has served on the Applied Improvisation Network's international board. He was honored with the 2023 Oscar Brockett Outstanding Teacher Award by the Association for Theatre in Higher Education.