RAT thanks to paul mackley and megan monaghan

[Michael Wright <myquagga@yahoo.com>]

paul and megan,

thanks for your beautiful contributions to this
discussion.  they've boosted my spirits enormously.

i think the distinction between dramaturg and literary
manager in a theatre the size of arena stage is that
the literary manager deals with script submissions,
works with the producer/artistic director on shaping
the season, and also serves as liaison between the
theatre and playwrights, and between the theatre and
the community (i.e. developing instructional programs,
creating teaching material to supplement productions,
etc.), where the dramaturg more often is assigned to
the plays selected for the season, and works side by
side with the director and the playwright (though
'turgs serve productions which are not new plays as
well by providing research into a variety of areas
which will support the director's work and/or
concept--again i suggest the book THE PRODUCTION
NOTEBOOKS edited by mark bly, published by theatre
communications group, which covers productions
developed by the guthrie, alley theatre, crossroads
theatre company, and theatre de la jeune lune where
either new works or new approaches were being created;
each production and process is described and annotated
by a dramaturg--i suppose this also makes dramaturgs
into contemporary historians as well).

as to who is senior, that would vary from theatre to
theatre.  i don't think there's a paradigm for any
kind of hierarchy.

lastly, several people have written with regard to
lmda (literary managers and dramaturgs of the
americas--a title i think is important for its
inclusion of canadian theatre and theatre south of the
u.s. border).  i've asked the person i know at lmda
who has the best answers about how people get on this
list and hope to have an answer about it soon.

michael wright

--- Paul Mackley <paulmackley@yahoo.com> wrote:
> i found this ad in artsearch and thought it
> interesting in the context of this
> discussion...although it doesn`t really address the
> internal production processes but rather the
> institutional role....it gives a pretty clear
> picture
> of what this regional theater wants a dramaturg to
> be,
> anyway....
> 
> ...does this description seem generally accurate to
> those out there who have dramaturged
> institutionally?
> ....Where does the distinction between the dramaturg
> and the literary manager lie, and which one is
> usually
> considered senior in the corporate theater? i had
> always assumed it would be the literary manager, but
> this ad mentions working with the literary manager,
> and goes on to list guidance and supervision of the
> literary office as a dramaturg responsibilty....what
> is usual?
> 
> thanx - paul
> _________________________________________________
> DRAMATURG - Arena Stage seeks Dramaturg to lead
> Arena's efforts to attract the best American writers
> and to support the Artistic Director in the areas of
> literary analysis and dramaturgy. Serve as part of
> artistic team, which includes the Literary Manager,
> Artistic Associate and Associate Producer. Skills
> Required: Dramaturgy experience,knowledge of
> contemporary and classic theatre, especially
> American
> voices, high level writing skills. Major
> Responsibilities: Work closely with and support the
> Artistic Director. Responsible for
> identifying,seeking
> out, attracting and keeping contact with major
> established playwrights, emerging playwrights, both
> locally and nationally. Guidance and supervision as
> appropriate to Literary Office. As appropriate,
> serve
> as dramaturg for Arena productions. Facilitate and
> collaborate in the season planning process. Write
> articles for organizational and public forums,
> productions at Arena, new plays, and organizational
> initiatives. Represent Arena Stage locally in the
> community and nationally at theatre-related events.
> Serve as member of the Senior Leadership team.
> Please send: resume, references and. Writing samples
> to Anne Paine West,Executive Office Assistant, ARENA
> STAGE, 1101 Sixth Street, SW,Washington, DC 20024.
> Fax: 202-488-4056.
> 
> 
> --- emergency@notnow.com wrote:
> > In response to Paul-
> > 
> > Dramaturg of the 20th century?
> > Jan Kott. He wrote many books, among which 
> > "Shakespeare Our Contemporary" and "The Eating of
> > the Gods" are the best known. His texts on
> > Shakespeare hugely influenced many (in)famous
> > productions, including Peter Brook's Midsummer.
> > 
> > And, by the way, Howard Barker (who wrote Scenes
> > From an Execution) functions as a
> dramaturg/theater
> > philosopher as well; check out his collection of
> > essays called "Arguments for a Theatre."
> > 
> > And what did you think of Wilson's "A Dream Play"?
> > 
> > --yelena
> > 
> >
>
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> > Get your free email from AltaVista at
> http://altavista.iname.com
> 


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