dramaturgy (not at all related to metallurgy)
Dec 15, 2015
• What: Defined by what it’s not Geographical differences Literary academia vs. practical theatre Common responsibilities Differences depending on company size Level of involvement in rehearsal
• Why: Importance of text analysis, research Theory into practice Getting a play to say what you want
• How?
“It is often observed that the position of the dramaturg is one characterized by its ‘in-betweeness,’ defined by what it is not: not playwright, director, or actor, but also not simply literary critic, historian, or theorist.”
-Andrew James Hartley The Shakespearean
Dramaturg
Common Responsibilities
• Script editing and cutting• Text analysis• Research: historical context,
previous productions, scholarly works, theory, etc.
Common Responsibilities (cont.)
• Discussing research, analysis with director actors (depending on level of involvement in rehearsal)
• Developing season• Reading and cataloguing new plays• Running seminars and workshops
for the public• Writing play descriptions for
programs
“…the dramaturg is an intellectual presence in a production (though this is more about perspective than it is about raw cleverness), one whose job is to view the show from the standpoint of ideas.”
-Hartley
Why?
• Why are ideas important?
• Why should we view a practical thing from the perspective of theory and ideas?
• What is the importance of text analysis?
• What can theory do for us?
• Wherefore to Dover?
How?
• Step one: Analysis. Read your shit.
• Step two: Make a decision. A good one.
• Step three: Make that decision visible.
Step three: Make that decision visible.
• Casting choices• Tech stuff:– Costumes– Set, setting– Props– Sound
• Two Gentlemen of Verona, OSF 2014• Henry V, OSF 2012• King Lear, OSF 2013• Taming of the Shrew, OSF 2013
What we see, what we don’t, and how
• How the script is cut—what we show the audience and how we show it
• Which words are emphasized and how
• Blocking• Tableaus• Pantomime