Re: RAT Playwriting Opportunities & Dramaturgs

[brad rothbart <scrdchao@nni.com>]

>dennis, thanks for such a fine articulation.  the
>valorous playwright/director hacking away in the
>art-war trenches is a great image and one to
>absolutely treasure.  having come up through
>experimental work in the early 70s, you speak exactly
>the beliefs i held then and hold, mostly, now.
>


  All,

Let's look at the idea of a dramaturg not as a position, but as a way 
of working trhat , I believe, is common to all of us... If you are 
writing a play  asnd you say to  your fellow trench-worker/art 
revolutionary  " Hey, I'm mot sure if this sdcene works- would you 
look at it", you are asking them to behave in a dramaturgical 
capacity.
  If you send a scrit out to felow travelers and ask for feeback, most 
of it will be dramaturgically based Nick, weho seems to have an axe 
to grind with theatrical dramaturgy, is in fact one of the better 
dramaturgs I know, he's just turned his lense on the culture rather 
than the theatre. The question of why? ( Why do this play, why do it 
now, why do  with this  staging? Why the second act , why cast that 
actor? , all the why  questions are dramaturgy. Every playwright asks 
why questions all the time... You are  acting as a dramturg.  Placing 
a play's issues in a socio-historical context  and making sure the 
context resonates throughout the work,  is an  act of Dramaturgy.  It 
didn't make me like 7 BLOWJOBS any less.The idea of   a  separate 
poistion called dramaturg is analagous to asking  a companion how you 
look before you go to a big event.  You migh think that the outfit is 
absolutely stunning, and your friend, who has no points to score/axe 
to grind opines that your shoes and blouse clash. Do you accuse him 
of stifling your creativity and storm out the door? I guess you 
could....
  It just amazes me that the same folks who want the  theatre  to be a 
group experience would rise up against the idea of dramaturgy as if 
it somehow inhibited or erased their rights as a creative  artist, 
when I see the position only as an assist- someone who can amplify 
and clasrify the playwright's voice and director's vison,  without 
distorting them. Feeling you have to do it all yourself is not only 
depriving yourself of useful collborative feedback, but can also lead 
to burnout . (Ask me, I know : ))

  In terms of Dramatugs making things antiseptic:
  Ruth  Margraff, who many of us hold in high esteem , has  a 
production dramaturg  who I would say is one of the more brilliant 
minds in the theatre, and who works as a co-collaborator. Who among 
us would accuse Ruth's works of being antiseptic?

  Reza Abdoh/Dar E Luz also had a strong  dramaturg.

So does the  Wooster Group.

  Survey questions:
  1) Out of the playwrights on this list, how many of you work either 
with a dramaturg or someone in that role (let's call them an 
"unofficial dramaturg") at some point in your process, whether it's 
during the writing of the work, during pre-production, or during 
production?

  2) Out of those who do, how many of you have a long-standing 
relationship with one or two people who you feel are especially 
consonant with your work?

  Frustratedly,

  brad
 





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