Re: RAT Re dramaturgy

[Michael Wright <myquagga@yahoo.com>]

these are wonderful questions.  i hope my answers are
useful to you.

when i know who a dramaturg is, and know her/his
connection to a show, then that sells it to me, yes,
and especially if i don't know the playwright.  len
berkman, for instance, recommended ellen mclaughlin's
play TONGUE OF A BIRD to me.  i couldn't get to see it
because it was being done in new york but i read it as
soon as i could and found it powerful and a script to
learn from.  on that basis, then, yes, i would buy a
ticket because of a dramaturg, and have done so in
other situations.  and, in fact, many people do so
without knowing it, because it's often the dramaturg
who serves as literary manager and helps shape a
theatre's season.

as for a great dramaturg of the 20th century, i
couldn't say.  i think it's the best part of the
craft, in a sense, that there are no "star"
dramaturgs.  most people have only heard of lynn
thompson because of the rent case, for instance, but
from what i know of lynn she would never seek out
notoriety.  a lot of people think their work found its
best level because of the efforts of david kranes and
other dramaturgs who served (for free and often, by
the way, paying their own way) at the sundance
playwrights lab.  and people speak of len berkman and
others in highly reverent tones, but the experience i
have of these people in both professional and personal
contexts is that they are humble and generous people
who love playwrights and playwriting.  

i feel, by now, like a one-person defender of
dramaturgs.  i am a member of the organization called
"literary managers and dramaturgs of the americas,"
(lmda) and hope that folks on the rat list who are
interested in the field of dramaturgy or want to know
more will try to connect to lmda, or, well, take a
'turg to dinner or something.  lmda, which has its own
discussion list, often posts discussions kind of like
this one, but having to do with coping with hostile
directors or defensive playwrights, etc.  we're all
trying to learn from each other, all the time.

michael

--- Paul Mackley <paulmackley@yahoo.com> wrote:
> michael: thnx for the names and reading list....all
> contemporaries - in a historical context, who would
> you name as a great dramaturg of the twentieth
> century? (...and their host/writer) .....
> 
> and is there a dramaturg who would sell you a
> ticket? 
> 
> ...meaning that knowing nothing else about a theater
> project but that this particular person is involved,
> you would pay to see this work...
> 
> ....i can think of actors, writers, directors,
> producers, designers, choreographers, and even
> translators i could say this of, but i am rather
> ignorant of the world of dramaturgy....
> 
> thanks - 
> paul mackley
> paul@paulmackley.com
> 
> --- Michael Wright <myquagga@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > in the midst of these salvos, may i observe that
> > this
> > is one of the most intriguing discussions i've
> seen
> > on
> > the rat list recently.  this is not to put down
> the
> > recent spate of political commentary or promotions
> > for
> > shows, etc., but to say: hey, gee, we're talking
> > about
> > making theatre once again; cool.  
> > 
> > michael
> > 
> > __________________________________________________
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=====
Michael Wright, (918) 631-3174. Shameless Self-Promotion Department: my new book, PLAYWRITING MASTER CLASS is out! (yes, in time for the holidays...)  PLAYWRITING IN PROCESS, also published by Heinemann is #4 on Amazon.Com.UK's top playwriting book list! THE STUDENT'S GUIDE TO PLAYWRITING OPPORTUNITIES (2nd Ed., co-edited with Elena Carrillo) is available; (802) 867-2223 or Fax (802) 867-0144 to order.

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