”Dramaturgy is the concern with composition, structure, staging and audience from literary analysis and historiography.”

– G. E. Lessing, 1767 – 69

In today’s workshop we explored contemporary dramaturgy. In preparation for today’s workshop I read chapter twelve of Oscar G. Brockett’s The Essential Theatre (2004), which addressed the relationship between playwriting and dramaturgy. According to Brockett, the role of the dramaturg was coined by eighteenth century German playwright Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, who worked as an in-house critic at the Hamburg National Theater. While is seems almost impossible to establish a distinctive definition for the role of the dramaturg and the term dramaturgy, it is clear that dramaturg’s have become a lynchpin in contemporary theatre. This post will explore the discussion from our workshop and the research I did preparation for the workshop. I will explore some of the key points raised within the workshop and establish the responsibilities and role of the dramaturgy within a production; and conclude with a discussion on the importance of dramaturgs within the industry.

”fundamentally, a dramaturg acts as an internal critic within a particular theatre. The dramaturgy examines artistic choices and raises questions concerning their effectiveness in respect to a theatre’s immediate and long-lasting goals.” (Brockett, p. 311)

As stated above, dramaturgy is not a practice that is easily defined. While it may be argued that dramaturgy is the criticism of a plays authenticity. It is the practice that ensures a play is truthfully represented. Dramaturgy examines the language of within a script, assists actors in building their portrayal of the characters and help the directors create a realistic representation of the world the playwright has created. In her text Dramaturgy: A Revolution in Theatre (2008), Mary Luckhurst attempts to define a dramaturg by stating, ‘playreaders, advisers on repertoire and textual, critical and practical experts working in partnership with directs and/or writers are accepted as an integral part of theatre-making’. (p. 1) In preparation for our workshop discussion we read Bert Cardullo’s What is Dramaturgy (2004). The text tackles the stereotypical myths that stigmatize dramaturgy within the theatre. Among these is the myth that ‘since dramaturgs have raised staged readings to an art form, playwrights have been encouraged to develop their plays to death’ (p. 18). In response to this myth, during our workshop discussion we all agreed that dramaturgy offers playwrights, and other creative roles within a production, the opportunity to question every aspect of a play. Through stage readings, playwrights are able to develop upon ideas that resonate with its intended audience. In addition, stage readings give the rest of the creative team, (directors, stage designers, etc) an opportunity to understand the world that the playwright has created through the spectator’s perception. Dramaturgy is essentially the critic throughout the development of a production that ensures the production is as accurate as it can possibly be to the world or era it is depicting. Dramaturge’s assist every department of the production team that is involved in creating this world. Thus, dramaturges ensure that every performance is a truthful resemblance of the world it mimics. Theatre historian Professor Dassia Posner’s summary of the role as evidenced in the video below.

Acting as a bridge between the production team and the spectators, dramaturges have the responsibility to ensure that the message within a production is clear enough so that the audience is able to understand it. Having established an understanding of dramaturgy, we explored how ‘the current development of theatre and performance takes place in changing cultural landscapes, defined by new media technologies and new perceptual habits’ (Lehmann & Primavesi, p.3). In the article Dramaturgy On Shifting Grounds, Hans-Thies Lehmann and Patrick Primavesi state,

Contemporary dramaturgy is facing a challenge: to develop creative ideas in the cooperation with authors and directors; to ensure the quality of theatrical work based on a fruitful communication process within the production team.

It became evident to me that a dramaturges role was impossible to define because they are evolved in almost every aspect of a show. In her blog Theatreffen – blog Miriam Rose Sherwood highlights that there are two major aspects to a dramaturges role. Firstly origination. They oversee long-term planning, such as deciding the theaters programme, meeting with artists and organizing play reading. And the secondly, production. Dramaturges, work as advisors to ensure that content within a production is communicated to its spectators clearly.

In conclusion, it became clear to me throughout this workshop that dramaturgy is the back bone to a production. while Dramaturges do not have a definite job description, they are ultimately responsible for ensuring that the spectators receive a production with the same intentions the artists have created it with.

Works Cited