Best Online Definition:
Working in theatres and playwrights' organizations, in colleges and universities, and on a project-by-project basis, dramaturgs contextualize the world of a play; establish connections among the text, actors, and audience; offer opportunities for playwrights; generate projects and programs; and create conversations about plays in their communities.
http://www.lmda.org/blog/WhoWeAre/AboutDramaturgy
Best Dictionary Definition:
dram·a·tur·gy –noun
The craft or the techniques of dramatic composition.
Most Notable or Unusual Definition:
The art of dramatic composition for the stage. en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dramaturgy
I thought this was very interesting because it seems to indicate that a writer is a dramaturg.
Historical Context (German origins with Lessing and the Hamburger Dramaturgy):
English dramaturgy and French dramaturgie are both borrowed from German Dramaturgie, a word used by the German dramatist and critic Gotthold Lessing in an influential series of essays entitled Hamburgische Dramaturgie (“The Hamburg Dramaturgy”), published from 1767 to 1769. The word is from the Greek dramatourgía, “a dramatic composition” or “action of a play.”
(http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/171026/dramaturgy#tab=active~checked%2Citems~checked&title=dramaturgy%20--%20Britannica%20Online%20Encyclopedia)
Job Description (a composite drawn from multiple sources; edit and cite each):
There is no step-by-step method that all dramaturgs use, just as there is no step-by-step method that all actors or designers use. There are only abilities, expectations, and understandings. Dramaturgs do their best to give production teams the information they need while not becoming exhaustive with too much information or too many observations. The key is to know the script and analyze what the audience will need to know, or will need to be told through production choices, in order to fully appreciate the work of the playwright and production team. Basic information I like to gather varies depending on the play and the requests of the director. However, my personal step-by-step method always begins by looking something like this:
Pre-Rehearsal
1. Make a vocabulary list and define any ambiguous phrases or allusions.
2. Find character name meanings and research historical or real people.
3. Read reviews and pertinent criticism and theory of previous performances.
When possible and appropriate, communicate with the playwright.
4. Put together a timeline of important events related to the setting of the play.
5. Put together a timeline of important events realted to the period when the play was written.
6. Make a list of images and complete an appropriate structural analysis.
7. Make translations.
8. Write or find an appropriate playwright biography.
9. Find sensory media, artifacts or objects that help define the world of the play.
10. Prepare packets of information, online reference pages, and a presentation for the cast and crew.
11.Be prepared to answer any and all questions.
During Rehearsal and Production
1. Sit near the director to answer and ask questions.
2. Observe character and world of play consistency.
3. Write and revise program notes.
4. Plan lobby displays.
5. Prepare audience outreach.
6. Take notes.
7. Plan and execute talkback session.
8. Be prepared to answer any and all questions.
(http://www.geocities.com/amylynnhess76/whatsadramaturg.html)
Production Dramaturgy most often involves two distinct phases: the period before rehearsals begin and the rehearsal period.
Before rehearsals begin
1. A dramaturg often has the task of "preparing the text for performance."
This can mean different things for different productions. It may mean preparing a version of a classic play, making a translation from another language, adapting non-theatrical text(s) into a script, or assisting/supporting a playwright in the construction of a new script.
2. A dramaturg in many cases will compile research on the production. This may involve obtaining background materials on the playwright, the playwright's time and place, the play's time and place, references to events and places in the play, or the issues of the play. This material is gathered to help those involved in the production better understand the piece. This is not to relieve others of doing their own work to dig into the script, but to supplement and expand on this work. Many dramaturgs build (or encourage the construction of) bulletin boards, collages, or similar displays of "dramaturgical compost." for the production.
3. A dramaturg should, above all, understand the play itself. S/he reads and studies it in such a way that s/he comes to the production process with a intimate knowledge of the script and its composition, organization, and progression of action. This requires a knowledge of the structures of drama and action, but what it "produces" may be different from one production to the next. Many dramaturgs produce charts or graphs illustrating the progression of the action, the activity of individual characters, the events of the play, or other elements of the action. This may be for personal study only, or shared with director, or possibly shown to the company.
During rehearsal and performances
1. During rehearsals, a dramaturg's task is often to help the production remain in line with the vision for the production. The dramaturg will draw on his/her knowledge of the script and of the goals of this particular production. Especially in shows where the director has many technical details to consider, many directors find it helpful to have a dramaturg on board as the person who only keeps an eye on the story. The dramaturg is a representative for both (a) the script (or its author) -- by encouraging a congruous presentation of it (NB: this does NOT mean "discouraging a nontraditional interpretation") -- and (b) the audience -- by working to ensure that the presentation is putting across to them what it intends to. A dramaturg usually gives his/her notes only to the director.
2. If a new play is still considered "in development" during the rehearsal process (that is, changes are still being made to the script), the dramaturg facilitates the development process and is often a intermediary between the playwright and director. S/he uses her/his knowledge of dramatic structures and of the play at hand to promote the strongest possible realization of the vision for the project.
3. A dramaturg often engages also in "audience dramaturgy" which can involve producing the programme which will be handed out to the audience, and may include involvement in audience education events or other "community outreach."
(http://www.dramaturgy.net/dramaturgy/what/Description.html)
My Own Definition (in your own words…this is the most important element for grading)
I believe that a dramaturg is responsible for educating the rest of the production team on the intracacies of the show. Dramaturgs, at all points in the production process, should be the ones with attention to detail. She will ask herself, "How will this affect the production? Will the audience "get" this? Is the director and actor aware of what this small detail means? " A dramaturg is the carbon based, animated reference to be used by the production team.
