The creation of theatre is often a solitary pursuit, reliant on the singular vision of a playwright or director. However, the Tectonic Theater Project, under the guidance of Moisés Kaufman, champions a radically different methodology: devising. At the heart of this collaborative process lies "Moment Work," a technique that treats fragmented moments of experience as the fundamental building blocks of a play. Rather than starting with a script, Tectonic Theater artists begin with raw material, often drawn from interviews and research, and sculpt it through improvisational exploration, physical storytelling, and rigorous group discussion. Moment Work, therefore, is not merely an exercise in improvisation; it is the systematic, rigorous method by which Tectonic Theater transforms lived experience into dramatic form.
The genesis of a Tectonic Theater production is deeply rooted in research. For The Laramie Project (2000), the company conducted hundreds of interviews with residents of Laramie, Wyoming, in the wake of Matthew Shepard's murder. These interviews, transcribed verbatim, became the source material. The devising process then begins with the ensemble isolating potent fragments from these transcripts—a single sentence, a gesture described, a poignant observation. These are the "moments." The ensemble then engages in extensive improvisation around these moments. This isn't freeform acting; it's structured exploration. An actor might be given a specific moment to embody, or a group might be tasked with physically representing the emotional arc of a particular interview. The goal is to explore the underlying emotional truth, the subtext, and the unspoken resonances within each fragment. This physical exploration is crucial; it allows the performers to discover the dramatic potential of the material through their bodies, moving beyond mere recitation of text.
Following the improvisational exploration, the ensemble engages in rigorous analysis and selection. This is where the "work" in Moment Work truly becomes apparent. The company collectively dissects the improvised explorations, discussing what resonated, what felt true, and what questions arose. Through this critical dialogue, specific actions, images, or phrases begin to coalesce into potential scenes. This iterative process of improvisation, physicalization, and critical discussion is repeated endlessly. A single interview might yield dozens of potential moments, each explored and refined until a cohesive dramatic structure begins to emerge. The ensemble doesn't passively receive a script; they actively build it, brick by moment. This collaborative authorship ensures that the final production is a deeply felt and multifaceted representation of the source material, reflecting the diverse perspectives and experiences of the company members themselves.
The physical language of Moment Work is paramount. Tectonic Theater's training emphasizes ensemble awareness, spatial relationships, and the ability to communicate complex ideas through gesture and posture. When an actor embodies a moment, they are not just reciting lines; they are translating the emotional and psychological weight of that moment into physical being. This can involve creating abstract tableaus that represent collective trauma, or highly specific, nuanced gestures that convey a character’s internal state. For I Am My Own Wife (2003), which began with extensive research into the life of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a trans woman in East Germany, Moment Work involved the actors embodying the dualities and complexities of her existence, often through shifting physicality and vocalizations that reflected her multiple identities. The physicality discovered in the improvisational phase becomes integrated into the final performance, enriching the text and offering a visceral connection for the audience.
Ultimately, Moment Work is a democratic and intensely demanding approach to theatre creation. It requires immense trust, open communication, and a willingness to be vulnerable within the ensemble. The process is not about individual brilliance but about collective intelligence and shared responsibility. By treating individual moments as potent dramatic units, Tectonic Theater is able to construct narratives that are both deeply specific and universally resonant. The technique allows for a nuanced exploration of complex social and political issues, as seen in their subsequent works like The People's Temple (2007), which explored the Jonestown Massacre. The rigorous, iterative nature of Moment Work ensures that the resulting plays are not just stories about something, but are visceral, embodied experiences that draw their power from the careful excavation and dramatic transformation of lived reality.