Theatre-making processes require symbiotic relationships to be built between the creative role players involved. This symbiosis is most relevant with regards to the director and actors as they spend the most conceptual time together in determining the narrative storytelling. The director assumes the role of a leader and should be encouraging and supportive of the actors’ uninhibited participation as actor-creators. It is the director’s leadership role that forms the focus for this study, where leadership research has revealed that being empathetic will result in stimulating resonance as a strategy for positive outcomes. This article is based on a case study undertaken through participatory-action research strategies to determine the impact empathy has on the devising process. The interactive relationship between the director and actors was analysed by studying the components of empathy: emotional contagion, cognitive empathy, and emotional disconnect. Further, this study served to establish how an empathetic director stimulates resonance during the devising process. Empathy stimulates resonance which subsequently implies that an impactful empathetic director would be able to validate resonance within the devising process. Experiencing resonance provides the actors with the necessary faith and trust in the creative collaboration and the director’s facilitation of the devising process. Establishing a resonant devising practice will encourage the performers to both participate and collaborate to the best of their ability and consequently stimulate a positive and constructive creative process. This article offers the outcomes of a case study that presents devising through an awareness of the three components of empathy towards generating and sustaining a resonant devising practice.

戏剧制作过程需要在所涉及的创造性角色扮演者之间建立共生关系。这种共生关系与导演和演员最相关，因为他们在确定叙事故事时花费最多的概念时间。导演承担起领导者的角色，应该鼓励和支持演员作为演员创作者的不受约束的参与。导演的领导作用构成了本研究的重点，领导力研究表明，同理心会激发共鸣，这是一种取得积极成果的策略。本文基于通过参与式行动研究策略进行的案例研究，以确定同理心对设计过程的影响。导演和演员之间的互动关系是通过研究同理心的组成部分来分析的：情绪传染、认知同理心和情绪脱节。此外，这项研究有助于确定善解人意的导演如何在设计过程中激发共鸣。同理心激发共鸣，这随后意味着有影响力的同理心导演将能够在设计过程中验证共鸣。体验共鸣为演员提供了对创造性合作和导演对设计过程的促进的必要信念和信任。建立共鸣设计实践将鼓励表演者尽其所能参与和协作，从而激发积极和建设性的创作过程。