Results tagged “dramaturgy” from Inkblog!
Here's a photo of The Inkubator Festival's chief dramaturg, Dan Ennis, at the Art of New Play Dramaturgy panel held on January 6th. He'll be sharing his thoughts about the festival, his own playwriting, and the process of dramaturgy over the next couple of weeks. This photo was taken by Melissa Blackall
Founding Inkwellian, Andy Wassenich here. Weighing in with a little post about The Inkwell's panel this past Sunday morning, "The Art of New Play Dramaturgy."
Who knew that a panel of dramaturgs could be so fun(ny), especially at 10:30 on a Sunday morning? The panel was composed of three talented and widely experienced dramaturgs/literary managers: former Woolly Mammoth Literary Manager and current Active Cultures Artistic Director, Mary Riesing; Centerstage's lead dramaturg, Gavin Witt, came down from Baltimore; and freelance dramaturg extraordinaire, Otis Ramsey-Zoe, whose recent credits include The Women of Brewster Place at Arena Stage.
The result was a lively and well-attended discussion of a dramaturg's role in the play development process.
And what exactly is a dramaturg, you might ask? 'Tis a question frequently asked. And a slippery one at that. . .
After minutes of scouring the Internet for a proper definition of dramaturg(e)(y), I give you the following:
"Dramaturgy is the art of dramatic composition and the representation of the main elements of drama on the stage. "
"Dramaturgy can also be defined, more broadly, as shaping a story or like elements into a form that can be acted. Dramaturgy gives the work or the performance a structure."
Even these are not satisfactory. And they are definitions of dramaturgy, not of dramaturg.
Personally, I like to think of a dramaturg as something akin to a theatrical midwife. In the case of a historical or period play or an established or "finished" contemporary play, a dramaturg might help give birth to a director's vision by providing assistance and a foundation in researching and knowing a play's history, setting, or subject matter and sharing that knowledge with cast and crew. In the case of a new, developing play, I think the midwife term really applies. The dramaturg aids the playwright in giving birth to the play, and then makes sure that the play lives and breathes once out of the womb. A dramaturg helps guide a new play into existence. And then also does all the historical and informational research, depending on the needs of the new play.
Back to Sunday's discussion. The role of a dramaturg in the play development process? What, pray tell, might that be?
The answer may be nearly as elusive as the definition of dramaturg, as the initial response to most of the questions posed to the panel was, "Well, that depends." Depends on the playwright, the director, the point of development, the theater, the designers, the actors, the process, etc. But each panelist did say that first and foremost a good dramaturg is a good listener -- listening to the writer and director and everyone involved -- but most importantly listening to the play.
What does the play want? What does the play need? Where does the play want or need to go? The play is the thing, more so than even the playwright. Serve the play above all else. And for a dramaturg working on a new play, it's all about the right questions to be asked, the notes and encouragement that can be given, the eyes that see, and the ears that listen. The ears that listen to the play, and then give it voice so that it might be heard.
The discussion on Sunday was very exciting for us here at The Inkwell. We had a great turnout of theater professionals (writers, directors and dramaturgs) and theaterphiles. There was great energy and enthusiasm in the room. And we were talking about what The Inkwell is truly all about — developing new plays and how we can best go about doing so, in an inclusive and transparent manner.
There is good stuff happening over at H Street Playhouse this month. Please be sure to stop on by.
