This thesis focuses on the process and collaborative methodology of design-led, devised theatre to achieve an innovative, visually arresting theatrical show. A devised theatrical production is a non-traditional form in which the performative material is generated in collaboration with the cast, director and designers, without a pre-existing script. This theatrical work entitled Clytemnestra, is based on the Ancient Greek classical plays The Oresteia by Aeschylus. I strove to investigate design-based strategies for devising performance, capturing and exploring the emotional experience of the characters and world. These included Clytemnestra’s experience of loss, longing, love and madness. The aim of this project was to explore the process where costume, puppetry, lighting and scenic design elements initiate the devised process and to investigate the intersectionality of these mediums. The thesis has taken the form of a two-year writing and design process, a twelve-week design build, a six-week rehearsal process, and culminated in a theatrical production that visually and performatively showcased this process in April 2018.
