Moment Work: Tectonic Theater Project's Process of Devising Theater

by Moisés Kaufman

A detailed guide to the collaborative method developed by the acclaimed creators of The Laramie Project and Gross Indecency --destined to become a classic. A Vintage Original.

By Moisés Kaufman and Barbara Pitts McAdams with Leigh Fondakowski, Andy Paris, Greg Pierotti, Kelli Simpkins, Jimmy Maize, and Scott Barrow. For more than two decades, the members of Tectonic Theater Project have been rigorously experimenting with the process of theatrical creation. Here they set forth a detailed manual of their devising method and a thorough chronicle of how they wrote some of their best-known works. This book is for all theater artists—actors, writers, designers, and directors—who wish to create work that embraces the unbridled potential of the stage.

Genres: Theatre, Drama

320 pages, Paperback

Published April 17, 2018

About the author

Moisés Kaufman (born November 21, 1963) is a playwright, director and founder of Tectonic Theater Project. He is best known for writing The Laramie Project with other members of Tectonic Theater Project. He is also the author of Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde and 33 Variations. He was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela and moved to New York City in 1987.

Kaufman is of Romanian and Ukrainian Jewish descent. He described himself in an interview by saying "I am Venezuelan, I am Jewish, I am gay, I live in New York. I am the sum of all my cultures. I couldn’t write anything that didn’t incorporate all that I am."

Kaufman was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2002. He made his Broadway directing debut in the 2004 production of I Am My Own Wife by Doug Wright, for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Direction of a Play.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Gg · Rating 4 out of 5]

very generative but i found level three to not be super informative as it it was just a retelling of tectonic theaters productions

[Jason Wrench · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a big fan of Moisés Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater for a number of years. I first became aware of both Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater because of the Laramie Project. This book is an excellent documentation of the Kaufman's process he uses to create engaging works of theater arts. Admittedly, Kaufman's approach to creating new theatrical works is different than most, but the excellence of his productions clearly shows that the in-depth analysis of either texts (like he did in Gross Indecency) or in-depth interviewing (like the Tectonic Theater did in the creation of the Laramie Project and the follow-up Ten Years Later) works.

Anyone interested in either creating art or theater history will benefit from reading this book.

[Chip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book with exercises that have already paid off for my actors.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can only think of one reason why someone who is a remotely decent or morally upright person would want to take a look at this, and it is to see the sort of depravity and corruption on all levels that is involved with contemporary theater.  Even that is not much of a good reason to recommend this book for others to read.  It is not particularly surprising that the attack on authorial authority in contemporary theater is so high, as that gives me one more reason not to appreciate the theater and what it has to offer given the fact that we can add a failure to respect the insight of authors and a desire to steal clout from others to the existing moral failure that actors and plays have long had.  I have to say that after reading this book I will actively avoid any play that comes from Tectonic Theater and will actively speak negatively about the theater's work to others, so the book had that going for it that it allowed me to at least know one enemy of good drama in the contemporary scene.  That is quite an accomplishment, if not an enviable one.

This book is about three hundred pages long and as might be expected the authors choose not to structure it in a conventional way.  After a preface and introduction the first part of the book looks at the history and approach of Tectonic towards plays, including a look at postmodernism and deconstruct, the history of the troupe, and a discussion of such matters as the focus on theatrical narrative as well as collaboration and the role of the theater artist as opposed to the playwright.  The second part of the book goes into detail about the process of moment work, including how one makes moments through prepping the space and various improvisational approaches like "I begin/I end" and moments that involve two or more people and that focus on sharing moments, layering, and creating tension.  This also includes additional layers that construct short narratives through layering moments and consecutive sequencing of material and a third layer of creating a piece through using throughlines and adapting source material, after which the authors tout their miserable and decadent plays as examples of this approach.  The book then ends with a series of essays that praise Brecht (always a bad sign) and talk about what people bring into the room when it comes to their own perspectives, which the authors fail to recognize as being dominant in the sort of work that they make and which is largely only appreciated by others of their own kind.

This book is a classic example of the problems that result when people try to talk about their truth and end up providing monotonous trash instead of the bold and brave creativity that they fancy they are doing.  The authors of this book purport to provide bold new insights on texts and end up pushing alphabet community propaganda, be it one-man plays about German transvestites or propagandistic plays that disregard the truth of what happened to someone in Laramie because it doesn't fit their worldview and agenda, or the staging of a boldly queer and somehow obscure Tennessee Williams play about a one-armed gigolo.  Given the lack of respect that the authors of this book have for their Creator, it is not surprising that they would be sadly mistaken about the level of boldness in their attempts to deconstruct drama and give less respect to playwrights so that they can steal some of the honor and glory of such efforts for themselves.  Again, this is not a book I can warmly recommend to anything but a bonfire.  Far better it deserves to be forgotten, as do the plays that the theater touts so highly.

[Mackenzie Allis · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredible exploration of moment work and theatrical devising as a whole. The only pitfall was that much of the novel cited specific experiences of the Tectonic Theater Company‘s members, which felt distant and intangible as a reader. Moment Work is an incredible work regardless that should be read by any aspiring theater maker.

[Siouxsie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book! Not only is it a manual that I will use time and again in my devising, it is also a fascinating history of Tectonic Theater. Well done!

[Abigail Van Patter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved everything, very practical

[John Geddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first section on exercises in moment work is a little tedious, but the second half relating their experiences using moment work to construct different shows is definitely work checking out.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great if you’re new to devising