Acting as One in the Development and Maintenance of a Long-Term Theatre Ensemble: A Case Study of Performers in Catalyst Theatre’s ‘Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe’

This project investigates the role of experiences of “acting as one” in the development and maintenance of long-term theatre ensembles. We carried out phenomenological interviews with a group of 6 actors who have performed iterations of the same story together over a span of 15 years. Performers reported that moments of acting as one occurred during rehearsals and performances. More importantly, these moments were perceived to strengthen interpersonal connections among co-performers and contribute to the group’s sense of themselves as a strong ensemble.