Dramaturgy, Literary Management, Organizations...and the FUTURE.

I have to admit, gang...my brain is so full of thoughts and questions after Howlround's Convening on The 21st Century Literary Office, I'm not sure where to begin with this prompt. We could link it to the reading from Chapter at of Ghost Light...particularly since institutions and organizations were a strong throughline of the weekend's meetings. We could reflect on the various ways folks at the Convening spoke about both their work and the work of literary managers and/or dramaturgs. We could discuss the difference drawn between literary management, dramaturgy, connectivity, criticism, advocacy...the complexity and fluidity of who does what when in the generative process.

Frankly, I'd like you to respond to any of those ideas, but also engage with one of the prompts at the close of the last session, but expand to acknowledge that while in this class you are all dramaturgs AND...

So...what are the three values you feel are intrinsic to literary management AND the future of theatre in the US? (and where do you see yourself in that future?)

AND...what are the bright spots you see in US theatre at the moment? What makes you want to do what you do?

I'd encourage you to think about your responses in conversation with each other. This time around, let's use this space as a "rehearsal" of our ideas--work them out together in dialogue.

The Critical Response Process

Choreographer, performer, educator and McArthur Genius Grant recipient Liz Lerman developed the Critical Response Process to enable "a group of people to uncover their various aesthetic and performance values and, by being patient, apply them to a creative work-in-progress in a way that pushes the artist's thinking forward."

Given that we all shift through different roles that are part of the Critical Response Process, which role do you feel is most comfortable for you? Which is most challenging? How do you use your dramaturgical sensibility in either/all three?

Think about the workshop held in the collaborative play development class. How does the process work of the workshop reflect the steps of the critical response process? Do you see possibilities for the critical response process to aid the class as they continue to devise as an ensemble over the course of the semester? Reflect, too, on your own critical voice during the workshop? Were there ways you did engage in the steps of the critical response process?

Why Vinegar Tom? Why now? Why us?

Let's continue our conversation from yesterday, moving from the theoretical to practical application of our dramaturgical sensibilities. We are about to launch our ensemble dramaturgy for the Studio Series production of Vinegar Tom, and will be provided resource materials for the cast in just a few weeks.

So...why do you think the Studio Series committee chose this play? How does it resonate with our school--and how does it serve the needs of our BA constituency? How does Vinegar Tom resonate with and/or reflect our culture? Where are the points of tension with our world?

Play Analysis from the inside...and the out.

As we delve further into Ghost Light, looking this time at Chemers' 12-step program for play analysis and then turning to that oh-so-dramaturgical question "why this play now", I'd like you to consider weaving back through our conversations thus far to consider why I would ask you to read these two chapters at this point in the formation of our dramaturgical sensibilities--and why I would pair them together.

What questions do these chapters ask of you? What questions do they encourage you to pose? What argument would you make in response to "why this play now" for any of the shows we are producing at ART this season?

So...what the #(*&%# is a dramaturg?

We started the semester last week by posing the question "what is dramaturgy" and talked about first impressions, experiences, and assumptions we make about what it is and who does it. Then, we immediately embraced our own practice as we read Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's Rough Magic. While we had a great discussion about our practice, I think we missed an opportunity to talk about how Aguirre-Sacasa portrays the dramaturg--and how Melanie's definition of what she does may or may not gel with how we see ourselves as dramaturgs or how dramaturgs operate in our world.

But why stop there? Let's add the first couple of chapter's of Michael Chemers' Ghost Light into the mix. He has beautifully set up his own entrance into the field, and how many different entry points there are into talking about who we are and what we do. Armed with more research and information, revisit our discussion from the first day of class. If someone asked you what the (*$#&(*% is a dramaturg--how would you respond?

Analyzing Dramatic Texts--An Alien Invasion?

 

Is this EF's planet?

Each time I launch a new semester and welcome new students to the Dramaturgy class at the University of Arizona, I feel a little bit like I'm boldy going where no one has gone before. Each new ensemble of dramaturgs has its unique structure--just like each play we read. Indeed each play has a bit of a rebirth--a metamorphoses--with each production, and with each ensemble's unique perspective.

I think Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa offers us plays that acknowledge that uniqueness in particular ways. In Rough Magic, Aguirre-Sacasa not only consciously toys with past dramatic structures, borrowing characters from classic texts, but gives us a central figure that we can easily champion in this class. Melanie Porter is a dramaturg.

So...as you asked Elinor Fuch's questions of Rough Magic, were your questions the same that Melanie was asking of her text(s), or were they different? What questions were raised for you as you explored the uncharted country of Rough Magic?