Exploring Embodied Collaboration in Theatre Rehearsal: Trust, Embodiment, and 'We-Centric Space'

Abstract

Theatre rehearsal is often understood as a process of interpretation and coordination, yet its collaborative dynamics are fundamentally embodied. This essay investigates how shared bodily awareness and mutual attunement shape meaning- making between a director and actors during rehearsal. Based on ethnographic observation and phenomenographic analysis at Rauma Theatre in Finland, I analyse rehearsals of A Doll’s House to examine how Vittorio Gallese’s concept of a ‘we-centric space’ emerges through practice. Directing is approached as an embodied, relational activity rather than a unidirectional transmission of meaning. The analysis identifies four interrelated dynamics — trust, the internal struggle of releasing the script, embodiment as process, and embodied storytelling — that enable collective sense-making within the ensemble. By extending the notion of ‘we-centric space’ from dyadic interaction to ensemble-level collaboration, the essay contributes to discussions of embodied cognition, directing, and collective creativity in contemporary theatre.