psychology and sociology

Foundations Paper
Dramaturgy is an interdisciplinary field that combines history, art, music, literary criticism, and most importantly, theater. Not every dramaturg position is the same, but most dramaturgs are involved in all aspects of a theatrical production. They prepare and present the historical and cultural context for productions and provide critical feedback during the production process. They also serve as a liaison between different parties involved in the selection and production of artistic works and community engagement. In the very simplest of terms, I think of them as a historical and cultural consultant.
Amy Steele Wernig (credited as Amy Steele) has outlined the general process she goes through as a dramaturg for a production. Wernig is a dramaturg based in Texas, currently a teacher and at the writing of the article the resident dramaturg at the Alley Theatre in Austin. Her nine-step dramaturgical process at first appears daunting, but it is what I understand to be the crux of what dramaturgs do. First, she meets with the director to discuss the overall vision for the play. A dramaturg should not do much until they speak with the director since they hold the creative vision for the production. The independent dramaturgical process is too intensive to waste time on researching a play with a vision that does not match that of the director. After meeting with the director, she does her “initial readings”, which involves reading the script three times in order to sufficiently analyze the play. From her readings, she creates a text glossary of terms defined in the historical and cultural context of the script. Steps four through seven are the deep dive into researching the historical and cultural context of the play. This includes researching the playwright, researching the history of the play, researching the production history of the play, and curating additional resources (many of them primary sources) that provide context for the “world of the play” (Steele). After completing her research, she compiles the information and organizes her resources into a presentation for the actors and production company. This presentation is usually given at the first rehearsal as a primer to the world of the play. A dramaturg may also make case books for the actors and production company. These could include pertinent highlights to read before the first rehearsal or additional resources for the company to refer to throughout the production process. Wernig’s final step is regularly attending rehearsals and collaborating with the actors and production company to bring the world of the play to life.
The first known work of dramatic analysis and criticism was written by the Classical Greek philosopher Aristotle (c. 384-322 BCE). This former student of Plato wrote Poetics in 335 BCE in the period following the Golden Age of Greek Theater. In Poetics, Aristotle breaks down the dramatic structure of Greek tragedies into several elements or “rules”. Three elements (the reversal of fate, recognition of the tragic flaw, and an emotional appeal to the audience) set in the dramatic structure are meant to invoke pity or fear in the audience. This ultimately leads to Catharsis, or an emotional release (Aristotle), for the audience.
The non-Western origins of dramaturgy came from India in “Natayasatra”, or “The Art of Theatre” (BYU). It was written circa 100 CE and describes the elements, dramatic forms, and narrative structure of Indian dance dramas. Onstage movements all have significance in these dance dramas, with a focus on motions, gestures, and stage positions.
Dramaturgy has gone hand and hand with theater but was not professionally defined as the role is has today until the late 18th century by a man Gotthold Ephraim (G. E.) Lessing. He wrote the “Hamburg Dramaturgy”, a set of critical essays on the productions of the Hamburg National Theatre. These essays were published serially in Hamburg, Germany from 1767-1769, the short lifetime of the Theatre. They were the first that analyzed theater as a “vehicle for the advancement of cultural ideals” (Wendy Arons, “Hamburg Dramaturgy”).
Academically, there were no programs specifically for dramaturgy in the United States until the 1970s. In the 1970s, the University of Massachusetts, Yale School of Drama, and the University of Iowa were the first graduate programs in the United States to incorporate the word dramaturgy into the name of a degree program. An official organization, the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA) was founded in 1984. Although relatively new in the history of theater, LMDA was created as a collaboration within a healthy population of dramaturgs. Its mission is to be a resource for literary managers and dramaturgs to further their careers, connect with other dramaturgs, and contribute to the field of dramaturgy. They hold several conferences a year in the interest of expanding the field of dramaturgy through a network of literary managers and dramaturgs in both the Americas and worldwide.

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