Of devised performance, Artistic Director Peter Falkenberg wrote in 'Why Devise? Why Now? (2005)' (find the full article in our Manifesto section):

"Perhaps instead of conforming to a fixed script which is always in danger of being frozen in some other place, time, and ideology, it is better to look for identity through a provisional art, where texts and participants become the material of performance in a dialectical process. It may be, in the present situation, that there are no pure local identities any longer--if there ever were. A country that is built upon colonization must be seen in the act of continually devising an identity for itself. How else to represent such acts if not by following the same provisional path? Ephemerality is always being denied through text. Maori only have an oral tradition, and written fixed text--even if it preserved their own language--was used as a colonizing instrument on them. Their tradition of performance can be seen as devising and re-devising their cultural identity in a constant process through the generations. Perhaps we can learn from the Maori, and not just in New Zealand. Perhaps it is time to see devised performance as a way of keeping the freedom as well as the relevance of the art, which is always fleeting . . . like identity, like life."

Free Theatre's work could be characterized as a constant search.   While Peter has staged many successful productions, he refuses to settle to one style, or to replicate these successes. Rather, Free Theatre moves onward in a spirit of true experimentation, taking with us our experiences, our training, and our trust in each other. It is perhaps this, above all, that has contributed to Free Theatre's vigorous longevity.

Actor Ryan Reynolds writes: "With conventional theatre, 90% of the decisions are made before everyone is even assembled together in the same room: the play will take place in this theatre; the actors will be on the stage, the audience politely in their seats; the lights will all be on the grid; the playtext is provided; the actors all know who their characters will be and how many lines they get to speak. With Free Theatre's devising process we are liberated from these contraints. We begin with a theme or set of ideas we wish to explore. We may or may not use a theatre. If we do, it may be that the actors are in the seats and the audience on the stage - or we might remove the seats altogether. We don't know at the start what the text will be, nor if there will be any. We don't know what characters we will play, nor if there will be any characters in any conventional sense. All of these decisions are made along the way, as we discover the best ways to explore our ideas."

Ongoing training is an important part of Free Theatre work. In most cases, Free Theatre productions are 'physical theatre' in the sense that the starting point for each actor is not psychology, as in the naturalistic theatre, but the body and voice. Even when working on a comparatively 'static' performance, or no performance at all, the ensemble continues with physical training.

This training varies but usually starts with a generic set of exercises that allow the company to touch base,
develop fitness and physical and vocal ability. In keeping with the principle of collaborative ensemble work, much of the generic training involves exercises to assist the group in finding ways to work together, a physical understanding coming over time and changing depending on current or upcoming projects and the addition of new members into the working group.

The training generally involves physical and vocal exercises to help individual actors leave their baggage behind (or, perhaps, to work with it) and 'find a sense of group'. Working with a set of principles for each exercise allows for structure and, at the same time, the ability to vary and change exercises depending on the mood or focus of the ensemble. The exercises used in generic training have evolved from a diverse range of sources, including the work of Vsevolod Meyerhold, Jerzy Grotowski, Peter Brook, Richard Schechner, Augusto Boal, Eugenio Barba and Suzuki Tadashi. Training also includes yoga based stretching, as well as tumbling and acrobatics.

Often this training will evolve into a more focussed and specific kind of experimentation with form, styles and ideas, as the company approaches a new project and begins to devise. Sometimes a performance will evolve from this experimentation, as it allows the company to explore and to play with different styles and ideas evoked by the subject of exploration. In this way, the actors come to find a way into the work. The director maintains an eye on the evolving work and then comes to structure, shape and rehearse the work in conversation with the actors and designer.