Essential Dramaturgy

Essential Dramaturgy

by Theresa Lang
Released February 2017
Publisher(s): Routledge
ISBN: 9781317450344

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Book description

Essential Dramaturgy: The Mindset and Skillset provides a concrete way to approach the work of a dramaturg. It explores ways to refine the process of defining, evaluating, and communicating that is essential to effective dramaturgical work. It then looks at how this outlook enhances the practical skills of production and new play dramaturgy. The book explains what a dramaturg does, what the role can be, and how best to refine and teach the skillset and mindset.

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Essential Dramaturgy
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Contents
  7. Foreword
  8. Acknowledgments
  9. PART I Mindset
    1. 1 From Noun to Verb
    2. 2 Questions Asked and Answered
      1. Questions Dramaturgs Answer
      2. Questions Dramaturgs Ask
      3. Rules for Questions: Asked and Answered
      4. Summary
    3. 3 The Forest and the Trees
      1. In Script Reading
      2. With a Playwright
      3. With a Director
      4. In Production Meetings
      5. With Designers, Technicians, and Management
      6. In Rehearsal
      7. Non-Production
      8. Summary
    4. 4 Timing Is Everything
      1. When to Ask the Question
      2. The Question Itself
      3. When to Ask It Again
      4. When to Offer Content
      5. When to Offer Commentary
      6. What to Ask if It Has to Be Now
      7. Staying in the Moment
      8. The “Elephant in the Room”
      9. The Company Elephant
      10. The Audience and the Elephant
      11. Summary
    5. 5 Why This, Here, Now?
      1. Why This Play?
      2. Why Here?
      3. Why Now?
      4. Again: Why This Play, Here, Now?
      5. Summary
  10. PART II Skillset
    1. 6 Dramaturg as Practice
      1. The Method
      2. Step 1: Define the Project
      3. Step 2: Gather the Content
      4. Step 3: Communicate the Findings
      5. Exercises
    2. 7 The Skillset in Production
      1. Pre-Production
      2. The Task: The Casebook – a Tool for a Well-Resourced Production
      3. The Task: The Dramaturg in Rehearsal
      4. A Schedule of Events
      5. Exercises
    3. 8 Dramaturgy to Enhance Audience Experience
      1. The Task: Lobby Display
      2. The Task: The Program Note
      3. The Task: The Talkback
      4. The Task: The Study Guide
      5. Exercises
    4. 9 Dramaturging New Plays and Devising
      1. New-Play Dramaturgy
      2. Devising
      3. Exercises
    5. 10 Notes from the Field
      1. Metaphors for Dramaturgy and What Do You Do?
      2. Dramaturging Productions
      3. Working with New Plays and Devised Projects
      4. Best Practices and Advice to Early-Career Dramaturgs
      5. A Final Note
  11. Additional Resources
  12. Index

Product information

  • Title: Essential Dramaturgy
  • Author(s): Theresa Lang
  • Release date: February 2017
  • Publisher(s): Routledge
  • ISBN: 9781317450344