Ghost Light: An Introductory Handbook for Dramaturgy (review)

In Ghost Light: An Introductory Handbook for Dramaturgy, Michael Mark Chemers provides an intelligent, accessible look at the philosophy and practical implementation of dramaturgy, a vital—yet often misunderstood—theatrical discipline. He articulately demonstrates the necessity of dramaturgy for all artists of the theatre, arguing that theatre must be engaged with the larger cultural and artistic conversations of which it is a part. He brings this sensibility to the structure of Ghost Light, which responds to a broad spectrum of dramaturgical conversations in the United States: historical voices, critical theories, recent productions, writings by other dramaturgs, and multiple approaches to analysis and collaboration. Deeply consonant with the philosophical questions of dramaturgy today, the book's seamless breadth is astonishing (where else can one find Aelius Donatus and Shrek in the same book?), as is Chemers's ability to weave together classical and contemporary threads of thought. The result is an engaging, dynamic work that will be of tremendous value to both students and professionals.

Chemers provides a reflective space for pondering the nature of dramaturgy, while developing critical, analytical, and collaborative skills. Ghost Light is organized into three sections: philosophy, analysis, and practice, each of which is further subdivided into three chapters. Part 1, "Philosophy," steps back from our immediate historical moment and the everyday practice of dramaturgy in order to examine its very nature. In chapter 1, Chemers characterizes a dramaturg as one who asks questions, who provides the guidance of a "ghost light" to the productions she/he serves and delights in "forking paths." The dramaturg as a ghost light offering illumination and protection from missteps in the theatre is an apt "defining metaphor" (9) not only for this book, but for the profession as a whole. The idea of dramaturgy as a "garden of forking paths," inspired by the eponymous short story, celebrates the dramaturg's "freedom to pursue our own curiosities … to wander down unexplored and overlapping paths" as a necessary way "to enrich and empower the process of theatre making" (8). These two metaphors serve as the book's philosophical base.

Chapter 2 explores one such forking path: individuals from Ikhernofret to Lessing whose dramatic theory has significantly shaped the structure, content, and social purpose of plays. Theoreticians in this chapter range from Aristotle and Horace, to Bharata and Zeami, to Hrosvitha, whom he positions as a ghost light during the Dark Ages (26). Chapter 3 shifts focus to critical theory models from the past century, providing "capsules" of several that have influenced, and continue to influence, theatre today, ranging from historical criticism to postcolonialism (42). Students and professionals alike will find themselves turning to these capsules again and again as a quick reference guide, especially since Chemers makes complex ideas accessible without diluting their significance; he provides especially useful links between critical theories and specific playwrights and practitioners.

Part 2 contains three chapters that provide flexible models for play analysis. Chapter 4 teaches students how to read plays and, more specifically, how to think about plays in terms of their structure, action, characters, lines of conflict, recurrent patterns, and theatrical elements. Chapter 5 provides three models for approaching plays that defy climactic structure. Most useful are the discussions of Sarah Ruhl's concept of Ovidian structure and of the "diffused crisis" of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot (102). Once students have begun to ponder and analyze how plays convey meaning, they are ready for chapter 6: "Why This Play Now?" In this pivotal chapter, students learn to make essential connections among philosophy, theoretical models, analytical skills, and the practical application of these skills outlined in the remainder of the book. The insightful guidelines in this chapter for how to assemble an informed critical performance review are the best I have encountered.

Chemers is most specific about concrete advice in the third and final section of the book, rightly assuming that emerging dramaturgs will benefit from such specifics in forging successful collaborations. This final section...