Production Dramaturgy as the Core of the Liberal Arts Theatre Program

COMMENTS ONPROCESS Production Dramaturgy as the Core of the Liberal Arts Theatre Program Lila Wolff-Wilkinson Only since the mid-sixties rise of the regional theatre movement have American theatres come to recognize the dramaturg as a collaborator in the artistic process of playmaking. Yet there is no systematic training in dramaturgy at the majority of colleges. Dramaturgs, still largely an unknown quantity, have been in small demand as practitioners. As a liberal arts theatre educator, I suggest that production dramaturgy encapsulates all the values commonly ascribed to the liberal arts theatre education, and one need not be seeking to train professional dramaturgs to use the art in teaching. A liberal arts theatre education should teach text analysis, research, writing, language, and organizational skills; appreciation of cultural (not just theatrical) history and current events; artistry; critical acumen; responsibility and interpersonal skills. I believe any liberal arts education, particularly theatre , is capable of increasing the student's self-esteem and therefore the student's ability to function optimally in a complex and interdependent world. Production dramaturgy includes, at the very least, text analysis, research and writing. It demands organizational skills. It fosters ability to work collaboratively and sensitively with others. But it must also be considered an art, because it involves, as well, exercise of the creative imagination and aesthetic judgment. It is a microcosm of the entire liberal arts experience. I suggest here a specific means to teach theatre, artistic process and the kind of interdisciplinary thinking which is expected of the "liberally educated" person. It is one pedagogical model, certainly not definitive or the only model possible. The project is probably not for every student, nor for every faculty member, especially given practical considerations of course load. I propose that theatre faculty, when directing, use a student dramaturg. The number of students who can particpate will be limited, but for those who do, the experience should immensely enhance their undergraduate education in theatre and in the liberal arts. 2 Lila Wolff-Wilkinson The student dramaturg might be seen as a kind of assistant director. I want to expand that vision and suggest that, as we teach, we make the student a fully enfranchised member of the artistic team, just as we do our student actors and student designers. At the beginning of the school year, one might solicit volunteers from all students. A safer approach would be to ask your favorite, brightest, most trusted students if anyone would be interested in embarking on a time-consuming , rewarding experiment. Perhaps the student can do such a project as an independent study. A real professorial balancing act would be to take on more than one student dramaturg for a production, but that probably won't work the first time out. Ideally the students will be at least sophomores, so they have had Intro to Theatre, exposure to basic acting skills, and freshman composition. They know up from downstage, sense when a scene is not playing, and write with clarity and focus. They have critical judgment based on aesthetic standards. They are able to justify and support their opinions, to transcend personal preference as the sole criterion for evaluating works of art. The student dramaturg is brought in before the production is conceptualized . At that early stage, the student is expected to have read the play multiple times and formed an impression of it. They have done research on the playwright , including other works in the canon and the period in which the play was written. This information is included in a daily log or notebook which they will keep throughout the production. The information will also be used as part of a study guide for actors and student audience members. Before meeting with the director, the dramaturg has formulated some opinions: personal impressions of the play, images of it, its connection to the present moment and place. I devise a printed form which suggests questions, to jump start the student. For example, how is the play organized structurally? How does each character function in that structure? What does the period in which the play is set say about the text? What kind of language is used? Imagery? How does that inform...