When I meet new friends, one of the first things they ask me concerns my profession. Most people struggle even pronouncing the word dramaturg*, much less understanding what the job entails. Most dramaturgs I know cultivate a quick "cocktail party" answer in addition to a longer explanation.
My cocktail party answer changes according to what aspect of the work I'm focused on at the time and what projects are on the horizon. Right now, I like to call what I do "theatre anthropology." Sometimes I say that I work with playwrights to develop new work, other times I talk more about research, program notes, and lobby displays. It is difficult to narrow what a dramaturg does into a soundbite because the job changes due to the particular demands and challenges of the play, project, theatre, or organization.
Defining what a dramaturg is and does is an ongoing project for many. Since the performing arts are alive and constantly changing, the role of the dramaturg will continue to grow and change along with its supporting institutions.
A couple of supporting institutions worth mentioning:
CENTERSTAGE: CENTERSTAGE in Baltimore received a $2 million challenge grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to establish the nation's first dramaturgy endowment. CENTERSTAGE currently boasts one of the larger dramaturgy departments in the nation. They do incredible work.
LMDA: A conversation about defining dramaturgy would be incomplete without mentioning Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas. When I initially discovered the existence of dramaturgy, my search led me to LMDA and their unbelievably selfless members. On their site, they list numerous "acts of dramaturgy." Scroll down!
What is Dramaturgy?
(a few possibilities)
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Help develop the mission
Help plan the season
Help look for scripts
NEW PLAYS
Solicit scripts from writers and agents
Read and evaluate new scripts
Track and file those scripts
Write kindly letters to writers whose script
we won’t be producing
Negotiate with agents
Prepare adaptations and translations
Commission new work
Organize the in-house play reading program
Organize the new play reading program
for subscribers
Help bring new plays into full production
Support those writers whose vision captures our minds and hearts
PRODUCTION DRAMATURGY
Locate drafts and versions
Collate, cut, track, edit, rewrite, construct,
and arrange
Secure permissions to use
copyrighted material
Find songs, pictures, stories, videos
Help the designer do the research
Help the director do casting
Help the marketeers and developers
Seek and present pathways into
the world of the play
Gather and arrange images, sounds, and ideas for rehearsal
Explore and present: the world of the play
the author of the play,
the script’s production history,
the relevant criticism
Conceive the forms of the script as a script
Conceive the forms of the play as it grows
Stay on course when all goes well
Maintain the calm when all goes ill
(as it will)
Create the lobby display
Love the work
ARTS IN EDUCATION
Establish relationships with local educators
Help them use theatre to support their curricula
Prepare study guides
Develop production web sites
Write and edit program materials
Organize and lead pre- and post-show discussions
Plan and lead seminars and symposia
ADVOCACY
Affirm the function,
Explore the practice, and
Promote the profession of
dramaturgy and literary management.
Nourish the arts wherever we find them:
in schools,
in communities,
and around the world.
(all information can be found at www.lmda.org)
Any questions about dramaturgy so far? Please ask!
*Dramaturgy is pronounced with a soft g, like the g in the word gel. Dramaturg has a hard g, like the word hamburger. It is sometimes spelled with an e on the end, but since dramaturge means playwright in French, most U.S.-based dramaturgs try to discourage that spelling to avoid further confusion.
(a few possibilities)
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Help develop the mission
Help plan the season
Help look for scripts
NEW PLAYS
Solicit scripts from writers and agents
Read and evaluate new scripts
Track and file those scripts
Write kindly letters to writers whose script
we won’t be producing
Negotiate with agents
Prepare adaptations and translations
Commission new work
Organize the in-house play reading program
Organize the new play reading program
for subscribers
Help bring new plays into full production
Support those writers whose vision captures our minds and hearts
PRODUCTION DRAMATURGY
Locate drafts and versions
Collate, cut, track, edit, rewrite, construct,
and arrange
Secure permissions to use
copyrighted material
Find songs, pictures, stories, videos
Help the designer do the research
Help the director do casting
Help the marketeers and developers
Seek and present pathways into
the world of the play
Gather and arrange images, sounds, and ideas for rehearsal
Explore and present: the world of the play
the author of the play,
the script’s production history,
the relevant criticism
Conceive the forms of the script as a script
Conceive the forms of the play as it grows
Stay on course when all goes well
Maintain the calm when all goes ill
(as it will)
Create the lobby display
Love the work
ARTS IN EDUCATION
Establish relationships with local educators
Help them use theatre to support their curricula
Prepare study guides
Develop production web sites
Write and edit program materials
Organize and lead pre- and post-show discussions
Plan and lead seminars and symposia
ADVOCACY
Affirm the function,
Explore the practice, and
Promote the profession of
dramaturgy and literary management.
Nourish the arts wherever we find them:
in schools,
in communities,
and around the world.
(all information can be found at www.lmda.org)
Any questions about dramaturgy so far? Please ask!
*Dramaturgy is pronounced with a soft g, like the g in the word gel. Dramaturg has a hard g, like the word hamburger. It is sometimes spelled with an e on the end, but since dramaturge means playwright in French, most U.S.-based dramaturgs try to discourage that spelling to avoid further confusion.
image found here
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