RAT Dramaturgy

[brad rothbart <scrdchao@nni.com>]

Michael,

  As  a member of LMDA ( I think Megan and Jeffrey are , as well) the 
first thing you must do is join LMDA , which , I believe, is  60 
American dollars.
  While it is true that the Literary Manager and Dramaturg positions 
are often conflated  at smaller theatres,   to oversimpify greatly I 
see the positions as being analagous to that of a GM and Coach. The 
GM picks the players (as the Literary Manager HELPS to pick the 
plays) and the Coach makes the  team work as a totality (as the 
Dramaturg  HELPS to clarify, explicate and sharpen the director's 
view of the work.)

  Moere and more,  it is being realized by theatres that these two 
positions put an incredible burden on any one person. Out of this is 
coming a fairly new position ( in American  Non-Profit Theatre) 
called Production Dramaturg. The Production  Dramaturg  is 
responsible for working closely to clarify the vision of the 
director, make sure there are no anachronisms on stage,  do 
background research,  organize and run symposia relating either to 
the theme of the play or the history of the playwright (often from a 
multi-disciplinary standpoint), and even  create a newsletter for 
subscribers.

  What is very interesting about the  position of Production Dramaturg 
right now, is that there is finally a realization that  they need to 
attend  all auditions if they are to help the director  fully realize 
his/her  theatrical vision. This is something that dramaturgs I know 
see as a major step forward in being able to fulfill their job title.

  Enough with the disquistion.

  I end with a dramaturg joke:

  Q: How many dramaturgs does it take  to change a lightbulb?
  A:  Does it have to be a lightbulb?


-brad




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The barber shaves all and only those who do not shave themselves.
  If he does, he doesn't;  If he doesn't, he does.

-Bertrand Russell
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