Hello! And welcome to the Mythology Project’s blog! Leading up to the performances of the Mythology Project 2023: Heroes and Legends of Ireland, we will be sharing information about the cast, creative team, and also our creative process. We hope that by sharing this information that we build excitement for the show and also answer some common questions. 

For those who are new to the Mythology Project, here is a short definition of what we do: 

The Mythology Project is a collaboration with actors, writers, and artists that explores the mythology of different cultures, resulting in an original short play inspired by these stories or the themes within them. This year’s project focuses on Celtic mythology, specifically heroes and legends from Ireland! 

If you’re curious to learn more about the history of the Mythology Project, you can check that out here.

Now jumping into today’s topic:

What is Devising?  

The Mythology Project is created through a process called devising. Traditionally, rehearsals will start with a script that has already been written by a playwright. With devising, there is no script to begin with. The company comes together and collaboratively creates the performance. This can result in a written script; it could also result in a more movement-based performance, a combination of the two, or something completely different! Usually there is a topic, theme, or question that the company uses as a starting point. In our case, we begin with stories from mythology. 

During the last Mythology Project, I asked some of our veteran actors to answer the question, “Devising is _____.” Here’s what they said: 

“Devising is theater in its purest form- creative energy flowing between actors and directors until it takes form.” -J. Landolina (Actor, Mythology Projects II & III)

“Like being a kid, dreaming up anything and everything!” -Lisa Ives (Actor, Mythology Projects I, III, IV)

“Devising is improvisation inside of a structured idea. To devise, you’re looking for the essence of the story or the point you’re making and wrapping words and actions around getting to that point. Improvisation begins this process, but doesn’t require that there be structure at the end. Devising is the track that keeps improvisation headed toward the common goal of the story structure and doesn’t just result in a punchline.” –Michael Daly (Actor, Mythology Projects I-IV)

“So fun and such a great opportunity for improv!” –Nicole Morin (Actor, Mythology Projects II-IV) 

“Divide and create. Bringing together many small ideas to form one big one.” J. Mason Beiter (Actor, Mythology Project III, Playwright, Mythology Project IV)

As you can imagine with such a collaborative process, each installment of the Mythology Project followed a slightly different format for rehearsals. This year, in addition to having a talented cast of actors, we were lucky enough to work with CT playwright J. Mason Beiter and to have Mythology Project alum Catherine Haverkampf as dramaturg (helping with everything from research to creating a pronunciation guide). We spent the first month of rehearsals reading through Celtic myths and Irish legends, narrowing down our stories, and then brainstorming in a “writers’ room” fashion how we could best stage these tales, occasionally inviting the actors to improvise some potential scenes. Mason, Catherine, and I then worked to take all the ideas generated to craft a first draft of a script (with Mason taking lead on writing and Cat helping to fill in any gaps in research). Once we had a draft of the script, the actors and I along with a talented team of artists/designers came together to continue workshopping the play, adding in prop, set, costume and staging details to help bring the story to life. 

This year we are celebrating having our largest creative team yet – including six actors, one playwright, one dramaturg, and two artist/designers. Stay tuned to this blog in the coming weeks to learn more about the team that made this year’s project possible!   

The Mythology Project 2023 will premiere at the Windsor Art Center September 28, 29, and 30th at 7 pm. There will be a free talkback discussion following the September 29 performance. Suggested donation is $15.00. For more information and to reserve tickets, please visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-mythology-project-tickets-698478507017 

The Mythology Project 2023 is hosted at the Windsor Art Center, directed by Amanda Pawlik, and made possible through the support of the NewAlliance Foundation and the Ensworth Charitable Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee.