# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
could do something like darcys story last year with this

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Britain may lay claim to some of the world's greatest dramatists, but solitary scribbling isn't the only way to create theatre. "Devising" is a process in which the whole creative team develops a show collaboratively. From actors to technicians, everyone is involved in the creative process. Since the pioneering Oh What a Lovely War, some of theatre's most exciting productions have been made this way.

It's both an exhilarating and terrifying way to work. I love the challenge of creating a show from scratch, but with this freedom comes a significant catch: there's no script; no safety net. I've spent most of the past decade walking this tightrope. From shows that have ended up touring nationally to flops I'd rather forget, here are some of the things I've learned along the way.

Be passionate about your source material

It might be a story you love, an injustice that enrages you or a question you can't stop asking - just make sure you've chosen a starting point that fascinates you. This curiosity will keep you alive to new possibilities, make you fearless when things get tough, and ensure you're always digging deeper.

If you don't care, why should an audience?

Do your research

The more you know about your starting material, the freer your imagination will be within it. Research nourishes rehearsals, provides a huge wealth of material from which to devise, and gives authenticity to your final production. The latter is important; if an audience questions the world you create, it's almost impossible for them to relax into the fantasies you're weaving. Of course, if you're creating a clown show, ignore all the above; ignorance will be bliss.

Get your material out there as soon as possible

Nothing gets me off my backside like the prospect of public humiliation. Without the pressure of a reading or work-in-progress night, I wouldn't create anything. Early previews will stop you over-thinking, get you creating, allow you to test material and (hopefully) build a buzz for the show. If premature exposure sounds too terrifying, you can always invite supportive friends into your rehearsals.

Unite the whole company around a common purpose

Set aside some time early on to explore everyone's personal objectives for making the piece. Then, as an ensemble, write a unified mission statement for the show. This might range from explicitly political aims to simply wanting to create a joyous evening of fun - it might even change as the project moves forward. It will provide an essential framework against which you can judge every decision you make and ensures that everyone is travelling in the same direction.

Keep an open mind

Few things will choke creativity more than your brainy ideas about what you think will work. Admit that you know nothing, keep an open mind and listen attentively to the people with whom you're working. The smallest comments can spark Eureka moments, and there really is no such thing as a bad idea. Some of my favourite scenes were inspired by tiny glimmers in otherwise awful improvisations. It's often the most disastrous rehearsals that tell me where I'm going wrong. As long as you're venturing into the unknown, there's no such thing as failure.

The importance of story is relative

Some people swear that story is everything, but it really depends on the show. If I'm adapting a pre-existing narrative, story will undoubtedly be high on my priorities. But sometimes it will only emerge once we start connecting the material we've made. In comedy, it's often just a framework from which to hang the gags. What's certainly true is that an early obsession with plot will close you off from many discoveries.

Always look for counterpoints

If your subject matter is serious, look for the moments of humour. If you're doing comedy, remember that it's probably not funny for the characters involved. Similarly, don't get stuck in endless dialogue; the way you tell a story through action, movement, music, design, sound and lighting is just as important as the words.

Everyone works differently

Devising doesn't have to mean endless improvisations. Let people create material in whichever way works best for them. Some of the best scenes will come when people are just given time to go home and write.

Don't be precious

Throw away your rehearsal plans if they're not helping, give your best jokes to another actor, consider moving your final scene to the start, simplify the plot-line, and mercilessly edit your show to the shortest length possible. I've never regretted any cuts or changes I've made to a show; getting the rhythm right trumps everything.

Stay optimistic and enjoy yourselves

Things will inevitably go wrong, but remember to keep looking for the joy and inspiration to create. Stuck in a hole? Play a silly game or get outside and do something fun. You'd be surprised how many good ideas come when you're not trying.
John Walton is artistic director of A work-in-progress performance of its next show, Instructions for American Servicemen in Britain, will be at The Theatre, Chipping Norton on 27 January , which you can follow on Twitter . Join our community of arts, culture and creative professionals by signing up free to the Guardian Culture Pros Network.
More like this

Theatre production: tips and advice from the experts
Theatre careers: tips from the pros
Arts marketing tips from across the cultural sector

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Devised theatre: ten tips for a truly creative collaboration

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Do your research, don't obsess over plot and set aside time early on to explore everyone's personal objectives for making the piece

# data[].attributes.body
riots, recent event, local and could use it as a stimulus

# data[].attributes.body
Riots that happened in Portadown against Romanians

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Police attacked as Northern Irish violence spreads to another town

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Rioters attacked police with petrol bombs, rocks and fireworks in the Northern Irish town of Portadown on Thursday, a Reuters witness said, as a fourth night of anti-immigrant violence moved to a different part of the British-run province.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Mud thrown at family’s home in race hate crime

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The PSNI said officers spoke to a number of young people regarding this matter,

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Portadown: Masonry thrown at police in fourth night of NI disorder

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
There was disorder in Northern Ireland for the fourth night in a row but at a lower level than seen earlier this week.

# data[].attributes.body
Police are appealing for information about a racially-motivated attack on a taxi driver in Belfast.

Two men and a woman approached the taxi driver on Talbot Street at about 23:10 BST on Saturday and, after being refused a lift, they became aggressive and used racial slurs.

The taxi driver, who is in his 30s, was spat at and struck by one of the men and he hit the ground and lost consciousness. As he got back up, he was hit by a second man.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why have anti-immigration riots broken out in Northern Ireland? | Protests News | Al Jazeera

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We and our 1008 partners store and access personal data, like browsing data or unique identifiers, on your device. Selecting Allow all enables tracking technologies to support the purposes shown under we and our partners process data to provide. Selecting Reject all or withdrawing your consent will disable them. If trackers are disabled, some content and ads you see may not be as relevant to you. You can resurface this menu to change your choices or withdraw consent at any time by clicking the Manage preferences link on the bottom of the webpage. Your choices will have effect within our Website. For more details, refer to our Privacy Policy.To learn more, please view our Cookie Policy.

# data[].attributes.body
hate crime towards disabled people in N.I mainly online

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Knowledge Exchange Seminar Series (KESS)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The cyber-victimisation of disabled adults in Northern Ireland: evidence from a mixed-methods study - Knowledge Exchange Seminar Series (KESS)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Dr Zhraa Alhaboby, School of Life Health and Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), The Open University In Northern Ireland, one in five people is disabled and in 2022/24 disability hate crime reached its highest level. This presentation focuses on cyber-victimisation of disabled people and its serious consequences on their physical,… Read More »The cyber-victimisation of disabled adults in Northern Ireland: evidence from a mixed-methods study

# data[].attributes.body
Statistics for the amount of abuse experienced by women

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Incorporates definition and guidance on Hate Motivations.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Hate crimes: Race incidents in NI at highest level since records began

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Police say there were 2,260 race hate incidents recorded in 2025 - the highest level since records began.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
In pictures: 11th night bonfire celebrations begin across NI

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Effigies of migrants in a boat sat atop one pyre lit ahead of events to mark the Twelfth of July

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Hate Crime Awareness Campaign #4 - in conversation with the PSNI

# data[].attributes.body
documentary to watch to see how hate crime towards disabled people affects them

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Leonard Cheshire in Northern Ireland Disability Hate Crime

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
NIHRC Launch report into racist hate crime in Northern Ireland

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Watch: Huge Portadown bonfire collapse – people took unnecessary risks by being too close, says unionist

# data[].attributes.headline
Investigation in south belfast about hate crime

# data[].attributes.subject
Investigation in south belfast about hate crime

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Investigation into south Belfast racially-motivated hate crimes leads to arrest | PSNI

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Police in south Belfast would like to reassure the community, after a local business experienced a number of racially-motivated hate crimes in recent days.District Commander for the area, Superintendent Finola Dornan said: “Since Tuesday 28th October, a local business premises in the Donegall Road area has been victim to a series of incidents of criminal damage, theft and aggressive behaviour towards staff and customers, as a group of young people repeatedly targeted their premises.

# data[].attributes.headline
Short video from PSNI about disability hate crime

# data[].attributes.subject
Short video from PSNI about disability hate crime

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Mixed ethnicity couple forced to sell home

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The husband and wife, who were targeted by a neighbour, say they are not surprised by the recent race attacks.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Scottish activist John Davidson does not like the word "disability," so we will refer to his diagnosis of Tourette's Syndrome as a condition. The effects of this neurological condition have severe consequences for social interaction, far more than better understood and immediately visible physical limitations like being blind, deaf, or in a wheelchair. People with Tourette's often have tics and other involuntary jerking movements, and about ten percent of them cannot help shouting out shocking, vile, and offensive language.

Davidson's life is the subject of the sensitive, heartwarming "I Swear." He made worldwide headlines this year when he yelled a racist epithet at the BAFTA awards. What many of the news stories omitted was the announcement before the ceremony that he was in the audience, because this film was a nominee, and that an uncontrollable outburst was possible. This thoughtful, sympathetic film has an outstanding performance by BAFTA Best Actor awardee Robert Aramayo ("Game of Thrones"). It begins in 2019, with the very formal ceremony in which Davidson received an MBE from Queen Elizabeth II for his advocacy on behalf of people with Tourette's. She, too, had been alerted to the likelihood of a disruptive shout, which did occur and was extremely crude. Her Majesty handled it with regal aplomb.

We then go back in time to see then-14-year-old Davidson (Scott Ellis Watson), a gifted young soccer goalie about to start high school. Tourette's often appears in adolescence, so we see the beginning of his twitches and tics, his inability to suppress his outbursts, and the horrified reaction of his parents and the school. He is frequently punished, forced to eat his dinner sitting on the floor away from his family at the table, and painfully smacked on his palm by the principal. Finally, he is expelled, and his father, who dreamed of John's becoming a professional soccer player, leaves home.

Thirteen years later, Davidson (Aramayo) is still living with his mother ( Shirley Henderson). The meds he takes to manage the Tourette's do not help much, and he has not been able to find a job. Then he meets Dottie (Maxine Peake, exemplifying good humor and understanding), a warm-hearted nurse who will change his life. As people with Tourette's do, the first thing he says to her is the last thing anyone should say: "You're going to die of cancer." She had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and given six months to live. But we know, because we saw her encouraging him at that 2019 award ceremony in the opening scene, that she's going to survive.

Davidson moves in with Dottie, and she finds him a job as an assistant custodian at a local community center. His boss, Tommy ( Peter Mullan), is crusty but kind. The unquestioning understanding and support John feels from Dottie and Tommy help him to relax, and he feels the Tourette's imperatives less when he has something to focus on. The job gives him a place to be and people who focus on his dedication and good spirits instead of his tics and outbursts.

There are some setbacks. He is sued for assault when an involuntary jerk of his arm punches someone. He is assaulted, badly beaten, and mistreated by police. But then two opportunities come his way. A couple asks him to meet with their daughter, who has Tourette's and has never met another person with the same condition. The scene of the two of them in the back seat of a car, happily tic-ing with each other as they realize they are not alone, is heart-piercingly sweet and also very funny.

One of the cops who mistakenly assumed Davidson was being aggressive asks him to come speak to officers about Tourette's so they can approach people with respect and understanding. Davidson realizes that he can make a difference by providing support for people with Tourette's and their families, and by sharing information so others can support them, too. We get a glimpse of the first-ever gathering in Scotland of people with Tourette's and their families, organized by Davidson, as well as some of his presentations. And then we get to see him test out an experimental new treatment. Seeing him walk quietly through the campus and have the kind, unforced, casual conversation we take for granted is very moving.

Davidson was the subject of BBC documentaries at ages 16, 30, and 37, so he and Tourette's have had more representation than this would suggest. But the ignorant and deeply painful misrepresentation of his condition at the BAFTAs shows just how much this film will do to make all of us think twice before judging someone.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
I Swear review: Robert Aramayo finds empathy among expletives

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This thoughtful, sympathetic film has an outstanding performance by Robert Aramayo.

# data[].attributes.headline
"Ireland is full" antiimmigration protest

# data[].attributes.subject
"Ireland is full" antiimmigration protest

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
'Ireland is full! Anti-immigration backlash in Ireland | Documentary

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Not Welcome: Northern Ireland’s Race Riots | Foreign Correspondent

# data[].attributes.headline
News report about autistic man not being taken seriously by police

# data[].attributes.subject
News report about autistic man not being taken seriously by police

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Does the police take autistic victims seriously?

# data[].attributes.headline
"The European capital of terrorism, Belfast "

# data[].attributes.subject
"The European capital of terrorism, Belfast "

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The European Capitol of Terrorism: Belfast - VICE Travel - Part 4 of 4

# data[].attributes.headline
Statement from a former IRA member on sectarianism 

# data[].attributes.subject
Statement from a former IRA member on sectarianism 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The British Called Her A Terrorist: Former IRA Member Speaks Out

# data[].attributes.headline
Article about the man that inspired the film "I Swear" involuntarily yelling racial slur and getting unfair backlash

# data[].attributes.subject
Article about the man that inspired the film "I Swear" involuntarily yelling racial slur and getting unfair backlash

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Actor says Bafta tourettes row has ‘reversed’ film’s message

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A woman who lives with Tourette’s and featured in I Swear said she felt “upset” seeing the Baftas outburst backlash.

# data[].attributes.headline
Nazi symbols found outside shop in Antrim.

# data[].attributes.subject
Nazi symbols found outside shop in Antrim.

# data[].attributes.headline
Crimes recorded up to 31st of march 2026, includes statistics on sectarianism, racism and disability hate crimes

# data[].attributes.subject
Crimes recorded up to 31st of march 2026, includes statistics on sectarianism, racism and disability hate crimes

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Hate Motivations Bulletin Period ending 31st March 2026

# data[].attributes.headline
Victim support - a charity to aid the people

# data[].attributes.subject
Victim support - a charity to aid the people

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Information on hate crime and how to get support if you’re a victim

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Disability Hate Crime rises in Northern Ireland

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Disability hate crimes in Northern Ireland are rising, according to figures obtained by Leonard Cheshire and United Response.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Racist violence ‘spiralling out of control’ as four race hate crimes now reported to PSNI every day

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Statistics published by police on Thursday show that in twelve months up to 31 March 2026, 1,507 race hate crimes were reported

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This page will give you information on how to report a hate crime to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

# data[].attributes.headline
15 year old boy beaten and killed for being catholic

# data[].attributes.subject
15 year old boy beaten and killed for being catholic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Killer of catholic teen Michael McIlveen in Ballymena resolves legal action against prison service CCTV monitoring

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
​​One of the men jailed for the baseball bat murder of a Catholic schoolboy in Ballymena has resolved his legal action over being detained in a regime likened to solitary confinement, the High Court heard today