Assignment 1

What is Dramaturgy?

Best Online Definition:

• "Dramaturgy is the art of dramatic composition and the representation of the main elements of drama on the stage." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dramaturgy

Best Dictionary Definition:

• "dram·a·tur·gy –noun
  the craft or the techniques of dramatic composition. " http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Dramaturgy

Most Notable or Unusual Definition:

• "NOUN: A production dramaturg is a consultant and an advocate for the playwright's intentions. The dramaturg's skill set should include:
• historical and cultural knowledge
• efficient research and writing skills
• patient and objective observation skills
• playwrighting experience
• structural analysis skills
• assertive and tactful communication skills
• an ability to work in collaboration with others"

http://www.geocities.com/amylynnhess76/Research.html

Historical Context:

• The craft of dramaturgy dates back to 18th century Germany, and Herr Lessing. Others followed, through and including Bertolt Brecht in the 20th. It wasn't until the rise of the regional theatres in the 60s and 70s, and its champion, Robert Brustein, that the craft and position found a place in American theatres.
  A Dramaturg is many things rolled into one. They are part educator and part editor. They act as a supportive muse to the Artistic Director, and as a mischievous court jester. They are the theatre's internal critic, and their resident historian. They can help to shape a company's season, or they can champion undiscovered playwrights and aid them in the construction of their scripts. They play devil's advocate to a production's director, and stand in as the playwright in absentia when cuts and changes to the script are considered. Simply put, they are the Director of the Text. Where a regular director is charged with making the script a three dimensional picture, the Dramaturg ensures that the words and intentions of the author are being served in that translation.
  The genesis of the Dramaturg came with the hire of Gotthold Lessing by the Hamburg Repertory Company in 1767. Already an established playwright and theatre critic by this time, the Company hired him to work in tandem with the Artistic Director. They figured Lessing's public name recognition, and his ability to teach and publish, would give them legitimacy when he wrote positive pieces about their productions for various publications.
  Rather than the rubber stamp they were looking for, Lessing was a man who violently fought against the pandering choices of the Artistic Director and the Company's lack of scripts by German authors. In his collection of essays entitled Hamburgische Dramaturgie (The Hamburg Dramaturgy), he called for the production of works by German playwrights and on Germanic topics. He lambasted the French farces the Company mounted, and demanded that the actors rid themselves of their glib styles in place of more honest, empathetic presentations. Even after his removal, he continued to write essays until the Company collapsed due to financial hardships three seasons after hiring him. By this time, though, playwrights and sympathetic theatre artists began to rally around Lessing. Before the end of the century, the position of Dramaturg had been established in all Repertory's in major cities in Germany. There was a tacit agreement that the Dramaturg assume the position of resident watchdog, promoting the growing German Romantic movement sweeping the country. They fought against pandering to the audience, striving to educate and challenge. They were often in constant conflict with the Business Manager, whose job was to oversee a much different bottom line. The resounding success of their nationalistic demands secured the permanence of the position to current day. Even now, German theatre people move smoothly between the positions of Dramaturg, Artistic Director, Playwright-in-Residence, Literary Manager, and Critic, sometimes working in several positions at once for different companies in neighboring towns.
  Dramaturgy came to America through 1960s academia. At Yale, under the tutelage of Robert Brustein, the education of theatre critics was moved from the English to the Drama Department. Brustein recognized the importance of creating a theatre critic that was more than an enlightened audience member. His future critics were taught the basics of performance, direction, and design, and given equal amounts of playwriting as well as reporting instruction. http://www.goldfishpublishers.com/DramaturgEssay.html

Job Description:

• For each production, they act as human history textbook, atlas, and glossary. They edit the text for the director in the event they mutually agree on cuts or revisions, attempting to retain as much of the author's intention as possible. They create backgrounders for cast and designers that explain the era of the piece. This historical context includes maps and basic facts about the location. It chronicles events, trends, and celebrities in all different areas, including politics, music, art, education, popular culture, and science. It also includes a glossary of unfamiliar words and phrases in the script. The Dramaturg oversees rehearsals for script analysis and discussions of relationships. They are available to research odd questions that arise from interpretations of the script. They write liner notes for the program to assist the audience in entering the world of the play. They aid in publicity by researching the history of the production for established works, and by writing informational articles for local publications. They can then write a critique of the piece for internal use by the company.http://www.goldfishpublishers.com/DramaturgEssay.html
• The Dramaturg's role in a production Or: basic expectations for your dramaturgby Celise Kalke:
  A thorough text/story analysis.
  Research into the prior productions of the text as needed.
  Historical research of various sorts.
  Attendance at at least one quarter of the rehearsals, the first read-through, and as many run-throughs as possible.
  Oral or written notes for the director.
  Attendance at some preproduction meetings.
  A loyalty to the basic mission and ideas of the production and the text. Maintaining that loyalty in the midst of technical difficulties.
  Program contributions.
  Flexibility.
  Advising the marketing team.
  Working with the education staff.
  Participation in post-play discussions.
  Input on press releases.
  Text work -- ranging from true adaptation to suggesting cuts. Keeping a copy of the script as performed (working with the stage manager).
  Historical research in conversation with the sound, light and set designers.
  Text work with the actors - especially on poetic drama.
  Active collaboration with the director during the rehearsal process -- A vocal presence in rehearsals.
  Play selection.
  Organizing readings of new plays.
  Rooting and keeping logs of collaborative writing/performances.
  Keeping track of research materials -- both those provided by the dramaturg and those brought in by other peoplehttp://www.dramaturgy.net/dramaturgy/what/Job.html
• reading and assessment of new plays.
  in production, works primarily with director but may also be a resource for actors, designers and technicians.
  consultation with artistic director on the development of artistic policy and repertoire.
  the supervision of the public pronouncements of the theatre insofar as they reflect its repertoire and aesthetics.
  preparation of texts for performance. this is the main work of a dramaturg, can include:
  revising/editing scripts
  adapting non-theatrical text into a script
  translation of scripts from other languages
  advisor for playwrights writing or workshopping a new script.
  liaison between playwright and director
  "official representative" of audience to the theatre company
  writing program notes
  writing of mission statements about artistic goals
  dramatic editor
  distinction is often made between a production dramaturg and literary manager.
  production dramaturg's duties relate to a specific show
  a literary manager (or company/resident dramaturg) has ongoing duties within the theatre company, including review and selection of scripts, etc. (as described above).
  some distinguish, within what I'm calling the work of the production dramaturg, between production dramaturgy and audience dramaturgy.
  i.e. distinguishing between the work a dramaturg does:
  with cast, management and crew of the production--as described above
  and in "meeting" the audience, e.g. lobby displays, program notes, study guides, post-show discussions, seminars.
  dramaturgs, through their written work, leave a detailed documentation of the productions they work on, which can prove quite valuable to those attempting to do research the production in the future. otherwise newspaper reviews are often the only lasting documentation.http://www.dramaturgy.net/dramaturgy/what/List.html

My Own Personal Definition:

A dramaturg is a person who is vital to the production of a play. They are in charge of all sorts of research such as notes on the autor, previous production, etc. They are also responsible for keeping to the mission of the theatre.

Dramaturgy as a Profession:

• Actors Theatre of Louisville, Classified B D, Louisville KY,
  Julie Felise Dubiner
  Resident Dramaturg
  JFDubiner@ActorsTheatre.org
• Alliance Theatre, Classified BD
  Robert W Woodruff Arts Center , 1280 Peachtree St N.E. , Atlanta , GA 30309
  Artistic Associate/Dramaturg
  Celise Kalke
• American Conservatory Theater, Classified A D
  Theater , 30 Grant Ave, 6th Fl , San Francisco , CA 94108-5800 Michael Paller, Dramaturg
• American Repertory Theatre, Classified B
  Loeb Drama Center , 64 Brattle St , Cambridge , MA 02138 Arthur Holmberg, Literary Director
• Arden Theatre Company Member but Classification
  40 N Second St , Philadelphia , PA 19106
  Dennis Smeal, Literary Director
• Berkeley Repertory Theatre Classification: B, 2025 Addison St , Berkeley , CA 94704 Madeleine Oldham, Literary Manager / Dramaturg

• City Theatre Company

  Classified  D; Carlyn Aquiline -Literary Manager/ Dramaturg
  1300 Bingham St , Pittsburgh , PA 15203 
  Business: (412) 431-4400, Box Office: 412-431-2489 , Other Phone: (412) 431-2489 , FAX:412-431-5535 
  Website: www.citytheatrecompany.org 
  Email: theatre@citytheatrecompany.org 

• CENTERSTAGE Classified B C  700 N Calvert St , Baltimore , MD 21202 Business: (410) 986-4000, Box Office: 410-332-0033 , FAX: 410-539-3912 , Resident Dramaturg Gavin Witt

• GALA Hispanic Theatre

  Classification not listed:  Literary Advisory Board Dr. Barbara Mujica and  Dr. Barbara Tenenbau
  2437 15th Street NW , WASHINGTON , DC 20009 
  Business: (202) 234-7174, Box Office: 202-234-7174 , Other Phone: (202) 234-7174 ,FAX: 202-332-1247 
  Website: www.galatheatre.org 
  Email: info@galatheatre.org 

• Florida Stage

  Classified C; Jonathan Wemmett; Literary Associate
  262 S Ocean Blvd , Manalapan , FL 33462 
  Business: (561) 585-3404, Box Office: 561-585-3433 , Other Phone: 514-3837 box office ,FAX: 561-588-4708 
  Website: www.floridastage.org 
  Email: info@floridastage.org 

Graduate Programs:

• Roosevelt University, Chicago Il, MFA: Directing/dramaturgy, 3 year program, Full Tuition Suport http://www.roosevelt.edu/
• University of Iowa; Iowa City, Iowa 52242, MFA: Theatre Artswith a focus in Dramaturgy, 2 year program;The MFA Program in Dramaturgy requires a minimum of sixty-four semester-hours of coursework in dramaturgy, theatre history, and dramatic literature/theory/criticism. Although students must fulfill particular course requirements, each student’s plan of study is individualized in consultation with the program head. In addition to developing expertise in traditions of Western theatre, students are encouraged to situate their work as scholar/dramaturgs in the context of nontraditional and non-Western forms. In the final year of enrollment, students are required to complete a thesis that represents their dramaturgical philosophy and its application to theatre practice.  http://www.uiowa.edu/
• Mary Baldwin College, Staunton, VA, MFA: Dramaturgy, 2 year program;Candidates are first admitted as M. Litt. students. Interviews for admission to MFA studies take place shortly before completion of the M.Litt., which is a prerequisite for the MFA.  http://www.mbc.edu/
• University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, MFA: Playwriting/ Dramaturgy; 3 years; The University of Alabama is a comprehensive research university enrolling over 3,700 graduate students in over 120 master’s and doctoral programs. Here you will find high-quality programs combined with excellent faculty, top-notch facilities, and outstanding cultural and recreational opportunities. http://www.ua.edu/
• Hunter College, New York, NY, MFA: Dramaturgy; 2 Year; Members of our graduate faculty all possess both academic and professional training and experience. They specialize in such diverse areas as acting, theatre history, performance theory, Asian theatre, African American theatre, theatre in education, French and German theatre, avant-garde theatre, political theatre, mime, and puppetry. The Harold Clurman Professorship allows us to supplement the regular faculty by bringing in an extraordinary lineup of visiting professors from the professional world to teach graduate seminars. In the past, seminars have been taught by Arthur Kopit, Eric Bentley, Arthur Miller, Ruby Dee, and Stanley Kauffmann among others. Hunter playwrights, the practical unit of our program, is headed by noted playwright Tina Howe and helps playwriting students develop their scripts through readings and workshop productions. www.hunter.cuny.edu/
• Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmand, VA, MFA: Dramatic Literature/ Dramaturgy Pedagogy; 3 Year Program;  The graduate degree program in theatre pedagogy prepares students for teaching careers in the field of higher education. This degree combines an advanced academic core curriculum with a performance-oriented program of study. Specializations are in the following areas:. acting & directing. dramatic literature & dramaturgy. stage movement & fight choreography. voice & speech for the stage. costume design. scene design  http://www.vcu.edu/
• Towson University, Towson, MA, MFA: Dramaturgy; 3 year program; The program requires that its participants create their own opportunities, work in a variety of disciplines, and serve as self-producing artistshttp://www.towson.edu/
• University of Ottawa, Ottawa Canada, MFA: Theatre Theory and Dramaturgy, 2 year Program;Students must pass two examinations, a diagnostic examination upon entry into the program, and a comprehensive examination in order to graduate. Elective courses must be approved by the director of the program and must normally be either at the graduate or at the fourth-year undergraduate level. Exceptions may be approved where the play chosen for direction requires knowledge that is provided by a course or courses at a less advanced level. Students are responsible for taking any prerequisite courses that may be required. The program must be completed in two years (five sessions of full time registration). The students register for the fifth session in the second year in order to complete their post-production analysis (THE 6001), the directing practicum (THE 6901) and write their comprehensive exam.  http://www.uottawa.ca/
• York University, Toronto, Canada, MFA: Dance Dramaturgy; Thesis must include 2 different Choreographers. http://www.yorku.ca/web/index.htm
• Ohio State University, Columbus Ohio; Ph.D in Dramaturgy; 90 Credit Hours;This department encompasses all aspects of theatre - from performance and design to criticism and historical reconstruction. Emphasizing experimentation and new works, nationally and internationally recognized members of the faculty provide exemplary training to artists, scholars and teachers. A visiting artist program welcomes professionals from around the world and enriches the diverse and challenging performance series. http://www.osu.edu/