Montage
A series of loosely connected short scenes, monologues and group moments, all riffing on a single opening suggestion. No through-line is required - the form creates meaning through juxtaposition.
About
Montage is the most free-form of the major long-form formats. It asks the ensemble to hold a single suggestion or theme in mind and respond to it through a collage of unconnected scenes, images, character moments and group physical sequences. The form trusts the audience to find the connections. It demands strong individual instincts and the courage to start a scene with something specific rather than something safe.
How to Play
- 1
Take a single suggestion from the audience: a word, an image or a theme.
- 2
The ensemble begins responding: individual characters stepping forward with a moment, pairs beginning scenes, the whole group creating a physical image.
- 3
There is no required narrative continuity between segments. Each moment should explore a different facet of the suggestion.
- 4
Segments can be very short (a single line, a freeze) or longer (a full scene). The ensemble regulates length by feel.
- 5
The form ends when the ensemble senses the suggestion has been fully explored.
Variations
- -Thematic montage: all segments explore a single emotion rather than a narrative. Sung montage: segments are sung rather than spoken, creating a through-line of music.