Hello everyone!
I’m Ellie and I am the dramaturg here at Sherbet Lemon Theatre. I know a lot of you are probably wondering what a dramaturg is, so I will try (fingers crossed!) to answer that here. Unfortunately, there isn’t one clear answer on the dramaturg’s role as people can’t seem to agree on one.
The following is my favourite definition of Dramaturgy from Helen Jaksch:
“Mark Bly says that a dramaturg questions. My professor Catherine Sheehy says, among other things, that a dramaturg is an in-house critic that is friendly to the production. Dramaturgy is generous honesty, rigorous curiosity, and passion for thoughtful theatre and theatre-making. Most importantly, though, dramaturgy is not extraneous to a creative process. It is essential.” (Rowen, 2013)
In a devised performance, a dramaturg can be seen as a writer of sorts, they are the person who questions the structure and flow of the piece, which scene goes where and how the scenes will link together to form a cohesive performance. But of course, this is just my definition, there a hundreds out there!
But for now, I cannot wait to work with such a talented bunch of ladies on our new show. I’ll make sure to keep you all updated on my dramaturgical process!
E.W.
Works Cited:
Rowen, B. (2013) What is a Dramaturg? Huffington Post, 20 January. Available from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/bess-rowen/what-is-a-dramaturg_b_2169236.html [accessed 8 February 2018].
