Ghost Light: An Introductory Handbook for Dramaturgy

Contents

Contents Preface xi Acknowledgments xv Part One: Philosophy 1. What the #$%@ Is a Dramaturg? 3 Asking Questions 4 What Kind of Person Becomes a Dramaturg? 6 Forking Paths and Ghost Lights 7 2. Historicizing Dramaturgy 12 Origins 12 Dramaturgy in History 14 Exercises 36 3. Power Plays 39 Drama as Dialectic 40 Theory Capsules 42 Exercises 64 Part Two: Analysis 4. The Twelve-Step Program for Script Analysts 69 The Steps 70 Exercises 92 5. Form Follows Function 93 Comedy 94 Ovidian (Episodic) 98 Diffused Crisis 102 Exercises 106 6. Why This Play Now? 108 Doing Preliminary Research (and a Web Warning!) 108 ix Writing a Production History 111 Writing a Performance Review 114 Exercises 119 Part Three: Practice 7. New Plays 123 Working with Playwrights: Forging an Alliance 124 Maintaining Boundaries 131 Devised Theatre 133 Documentary Theatre 136 Adaptation 141 Exercises 142 8. The Company 144 Working with the Artistic Director 144 Mission Statements 146 Representation in Rehearsal 146 Season Selection 147 Creating a Dossier 148 Working with the Director 150 Working with Designers 153 Working with Actors 154 Sidebar: Rehearsal Etiquette and Protocols 157 Table Work 159 Exercises 160 9. Audiences 161 The Front Line 161 Publicity 163 Education 164 Program Notes 166 Lobby Displays 169 Preshows and Postshow Talkbacks 169 Blogs 173 Exercises 174 Appendix A: The Casebook 179 Appendix B: The Dramaturg’s Library 181 Appendix C: Societies of Interest to Dramaturgs 187 Appendix D: Journals, Periodicals, and Online Databases 190 Appendix E: Accessing Original Texts Online 192 Appendix F: Recommended Play Anthologies 194 Notes 197 Index 203 CONTENTS x ...