Dramaturgy in the Making: A User's Guide for Theatre Practitioners by Katalin Trencsényi (review)

The relationship between dance and dramaturgy is not a new phenomenon, but it has received nascent attention and conversation in the United States in the past decade as evidenced through examples such as the TDR/The Drama Review documented collaboration between scholar Susan Manning and choreographer Reggie Wilson on Wilson's most recent work, Moses(es) (Manning 2015), forums such as Chicago Dancemakers' Cultural Conversations: Dance + Dramaturgy (May 9, 2015), and Society of Dance History Scholar's 2011 conference entitled Dance Dramaturgy: Catalyst, Perspective, and Memory. Despite this growing dialogue, much mystique remains in place for dance dramaturgy because of dramaturgy's origins in theater and dramatic text. How does one act as dramaturg for dance? Furthermore, does dance need a dramaturg? This latter question is one that Katalin Trencsényi attempts to answer in her book Dramaturg in the Making: A User's Guide for Theatre Practitioners. Although the book's primary emphasis is on theater, dance is the subject of its own section. In addition, the depth and breadth of case studies can serve a dance practitioner or scholar in thinking across a variety of contexts, from traditional to more experimental practices.

Trencsényi is a seasoned freelance dramaturg working in London. The book is foregrounded as a manual, hence its title. However, while Trencsényi generally follows the four-step process developed by dramaturg Mira Rafalowicz when describing her dramaturgical case studies, she is concerned less with defining the role of a dramaturg than in thinking about how the work of the dramaturg has functioned historically and in the present. The book employs a comparative methodology using case studies supported by textual analysis, factual evidence, and theater and performance theories. This allows the book to work in multiple ways: it provides a history of the development of the dramaturg from institutional settings to inside the rehearsal room, gives voice to a breadth of current practitioners, and provides case studies of the processes of specific dramaturgical projects in different contexts. This approach of what it looks like rather than what it is allows the reader to see how the work of the dramaturg has unfolded not only temporally but spatially as well.

Due to this focus, there are considerations of the work of dramaturgy that do not necessarily correlate to a strict role or title, for example, artistic director, literary manager, critic, or curator. As such, this framework is less concerned with the bearer of the role and more focused on how the work of dramaturgy transpires. Dramaturgy in the Making is divided into three sections: institutional dramaturgy, production dramaturgy, and dance dramaturgy. Each section consists of several chapters that provide historical and theoretical overviews of particular practices as well as detailed case studies from the field. In this way the book moves between history, theory, and practice, with Trencsényi providing synthesis and analysis.

Although broad in scope, geographically the work is limited mainly to a European/North American context. There are, however, notable moments of cross-cultural examinations. In particular, the section on dance highlights the work of Akram Khan with his dramaturg Ruth Little; the work of Denise Fujiwara and Natsu Nakajima is discussed in relation to dramaturg Elizabeth Langley. These examples, although not explicitly focused on examining cross-cultural exchange, allow space to think about the hybridization of forms and the divergent ways dramaturgs can serve both process and end product.

Trencsényi follows the development of Akram Khan's 2011 solo DESH, which moves between Britain and Bangladesh and explores identity, land, and home. This case study reveals the process through which the work was developed. For instance, Khan spends a considerable amount of time on research and development, and set choreography is not often implemented until the final stage of the process. Little served as both observer and participant, offering feedback...