Re: RAT Dramaturgy

[Michael Wright <myquagga@yahoo.com>]

brad, thanks for your comments--this continues to be a
wonderful discussion: a free education, as 't'were.

i had the impression from geoff proehl, however, that
the list can be accessed even by nonmembers, so i'm
now a bit confused.  i'll pursue this, but i would say
to the rats out there who have the interest and the
available cash that maybe joining is a good thing
regardless.  lmda, like the dramatists guild, is an
advocacy group which provides information and
conferences, etc., which can be of benefit even to
people who aren't actually working as dramaturgs.  i'm
a member--associate member--because i work with new
plays in a variety of contexts.  i'm not a dramaturg
by degree or trade, per se, but just someone who knows
that dramaturgy is important to all phases of theatre,
as you've just observed.

michael


--- brad rothbart <scrdchao@nni.com> wrote:
> 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
> 
> 
> 
> 
>
**************************************************************
> 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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