ABSTRACT
Dramaturgy, in its many forms, is a fundamental and indispensable element of contemporary theatre. In its earliest definition, the word itself means a comprehensive theory of "play making." Although it initially grew out of theatre, contemporary dramaturgy has made enormous advances in recent years, and it now permeates all kinds of narrative forms and structures: from opera to performance art; from dance and multimedia to filmmaking and robotics.
In our global, mediated context of multinational group collaborations that dissolve traditional divisions of roles as well as unbend previously intransigent rules of time and space, the dramaturg is also the ultimate globalist: intercultural mediator, information and research manager, media content analyst, interdisciplinary negotiator, social media strategist.
This collection focuses on contemporary dramaturgical practice, bringing together contributions not only from academics but also from prominent working dramaturgs. The inclusion of both means a strong level of engagement with current issues in dramaturgy, from the impact of social media to the ongoing centrality of interdisciplinary and intermedial processes.
The contributions survey the field through eight main lenses:
- world dramaturgy and global perspective
- dramaturgy as function, verb and skill
- dramaturgical leadership and season planning
- production dramaturgy in translation
- adaptation and new play development
- interdisciplinary dramaturgy
- play analysis in postdramatic and new media dramaturgy
- social media and audience outreach.
Magda Romanska is Visiting Associate Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures at Harvard University, Associate Professor of Theatre and Dramaturgy at Emerson College, and Dramaturg for Boston Lyric Opera. Her books include The Post-Traumatic Theatre of Grotowski and Kantor (2012), Boguslaw Schaeffer: An Anthology (2012), and Comedy: An Anthology of Theory and Criticism (2014).
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part I|94 pages
World Dramaturgy in the Twenty-First Century
part II|55 pages
Dramaturgy in the Age of Globalization
chapter 18|6 pages
Freelance dramaturgs in the twenty-first century
chapter 20|6 pages
From alienation to identity
part III|55 pages
Dramaturgy in Motion
part IV|49 pages
Dramaturgs as Artistic Leaders and Visionaries
chapter 45|5 pages
The National New Play Network Collaborative Literary Office
part V|54 pages
Dramaturg as Mediator and Context Manager
part VI|61 pages
Dramaturgy among other Arts
chapter 71|6 pages
Research, counter-text, performance
part VIII|58 pages
Dramaturg as Public Relations Manager