dramaturgy (not at all related to metallurgy)

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

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing ( ) Big Daddy of Dramaturgy

Literary Academia vs. Practical Theatre

Common Responsibilities Script editing and cutting Text analysis Research: historical context, previous productions, scholarly works, theory, etc.

Peacham Drawing, c. 1595?

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.

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

Closing thoughts You can’t perform an essay Theory as Liberatory Practice—and theatre as the practical medium for the theory Shakespeare is a versatile and malleable type of theatre that won’t get you in any legal trouble