This book brings together creativity scholars engaged in experimental and scientific inquiry with theatre and performance professionals in a dynamic exchange of ideas. Featuring a distinguished group of contributors and edited by a leading voice in creativity studies and an award-winning theatre composer, this collection fosters meaningful collaboration between academics and practitioners, offering insights that enrich both fields.

Each chapter examines a key theme at the intersection of creativity and theatre—such as group creativity, emotion, constraints, and creative metacognition—and includes responses from Broadway and West End professionals. These responses, grounded in lived experience, offer illustrative examples, thoughtful challenges, and nuanced extensions of the scholars’ perspectives.

This volume is a valuable resource for those in psychology, education, and creativity studies with an interest in theatre and performance.

Dana P. Rowe is a two-time Olivier Award nominated theatrical composer. His shows include the cult off-Broadway hit Zombie Prom and West End shows The Fix and Witches of Eastwick; they have been performed all over the world. He is an executive coach who was named one of the top 15 leadership coaches in New York City, and is also an accomplished audiobook narrator. With James C. Kaufman, he co-authored Lessons in Creativity from Musical Theatre Characters (Routledge, 2023).

James C. Kaufman is Professor of Educational Psychology at the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut, USA. He has written or edited more than 50 books, including the forthcoming Creativity through the Movies (Oxford), The Creativity Advantage (Cambridge, 2023), and many Cambridge Handbooks. His awards include Mensa’s research award, the Torrance Award from the National Association for Gifted Children, the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children’s International Creativity Award, and APA’s Berlyne, Arnheim, and Farnsworth awards.