The Process of Dramaturgy - Focus Publishing

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Chapter One: Laying the Groundwork 5been ravaged by use at rehearsals, the first-time production dramaturgwas able to re-engage in the process, seek answers to the designers’questions, and recapture a feeling of satisfaction from completing assigneddramaturgical tasks.In what follows we explore the early phases of production dramaturgicalinquiry—the sometimes solo archival work, the readingand preparation for early meetings with the director, and much of the“hunting and gathering” that many people unfamiliar with dramaturgybelieve is the production dramaturg’s sole function. Of course,all members of a production team “hunt and gather.” It is, however, thelevel to which the production dramaturg engages in this process andthe critical lenses employed that sets them apart from other membersof the artistic team. As we examine the practical skills necessary forproduction dramaturgy and provide models and examples, rememberthat the production dramaturg’s tasks are intertwined and dialecticalin the ways in which practical considerations speak to creative interpretationand vice versa. This is no different from the way in whichdirectors balance aesthetics with exigencies of casting or the way designersacknowledge pragmatics of space and budget as each pursuesartistic goals. The production dramaturg’s work is active, collaborativeand driven by preparation, all of which begins with an intimateacquaintance with the play text at hand. To forge that relationship,then we begin with some of the “nuts and bolts” of the productiondramaturgy book.While we advocate breadth in the tasks undertaken by a singularproduction dramaturg, we appreciate that in different venues it mightbe beneficial to create dramaturgical teams, dividing the tasks betweentwo or more individuals. In some academic settings, it might even beprofitable to teach dramaturgy by having a production dramaturgyclass take on the responsibilities as a whole. Dependent upon the degreeof critical sophistication, of course, a supervising dramaturg maywell parcel out “hunting and gathering” to learners but reserve the criticalinterpretation of gathered material for themselves. Whatever thecase may be, we begin our discussion of pre-production preparation byaddressing techniques and tools involved with hunting, gathering, andorganizing.
The Process of Dramaturgy: A Handbook offers a seriesof workable strategies and practical exercises meant todevelop and improve the skills needed during the practice ofproduction dramaturgy. This innovative text was created forstudents, emerging dramaturgs, directors and designers.Scott R. Irelan is assistant professor of theatre history anddramaturgy at Augustana College. A member of LMDA, he hasfreelanced in a variety of professional and academic settings.Scott is currently Region III Coordinator of Dramaturgy forKCACTF.Anne Fletcher’s (Associate Professor, Southern Illinois UniversityCarbondale) work has appeared in Theatre Journal, TheatreSymposium, The Eugene O’Neill Review, and Theatre HistoryStudies. She is the author of Rediscovering Mordecai Gorelik:Scene Design and the American Theatre and currently servesas Book Review Editor for Theatre Topics.Julie Felise Dubiner is Resident Dramaturg at Actors Theatre ofLouisville. Julie worked at the Prince Music Theatre, Steppenwolf,Defiant, the O’Neill and others, and her collaboration Rock &Roll: The Reunion Tour was produced in 2009. She has taughtaround the country and is a Board Member of LMDA, serving asmentor for their Early Career Dramaturgs.Focus PublishingR. Pullins Co.Newburyport, MA 01950www.pullins.comPrice: $16.95ISBN 978-1-58510-332-4516959 781585 103324Drama | Authorship & Technique
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The Process of Dramaturgy - Focus Publishing

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