Dramaturgy

For the sociological term, see Dramaturgy (sociology).

Dramaturgy is the art of dramatic composition and the representation of the main elements of drama on the stage. The word dramaturgy was coined by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. Dramaturgy is a distinct practice separate from play writing and directing, although a single individual may perform any combination of the three.[1] Some dramatists combine writing and dramaturgy when creating a drama. Others work with a specialist, called a dramaturg, to adapt a work for the stage.

Dramaturgy may also be defined, more broadly, as shaping a story into a form that may be acted. Dramaturgy gives the work or the performance a structure. From 1767-1770 Lessing wrote and published a series of criticisms entitled the Hamburg Dramaturgy (Hamburgische Dramaturgie). These works analyzed, criticized and theorized the German theatre, and made Lessing the father of modern Dramaturgy.[2]

Another important work to the Western theatre tradition work is the Poetics by Aristotle (written around 335 BC). In this work Aristotle analyzes tragedy. He considers Oedipus Rex (c. 429 BC) as the quintessential dramatic work. He analyzes the relations among character, action, and speech, gives examples of what he considers to be good plots, and examines the reactions the plays provoke in the audience. Many of his "rules" are often associated with "Aristotelian drama", wherein deus ex machina is a weakness and the action is structured economically. In Poetics he discusses many key concepts of drama, such as anagnorisis and catharsis. In the last century Aristotle's analysis has formed the basis for numerous TV and film-writing guides.

The Poetics is the earliest surviving Western work of dramatic theory. Probably the earliest non-Western dramaturgic work is the Indian Sanskrit "Natayasatra" ('The Art of Theatre') written about AD 100, which describes the elements, forms and narrative elements of the ten major types of ancient Indian dramas.[3]

Practice

Dramaturgy is a comprehensive exploration of the context in which the play resides. The dramaturg is the resident expert on the physical, social, political, and economic milieus in which the action takes place, the psychological underpinnings of the characters, the various metaphorical expressions in the play of thematic concerns; as well as on the technical consideration of the play as a piece of writing: structure, rhythm, flow, even individual word choices.[4]

Institutional dramaturgs may participate in many phases of play production including casting of the play, offering inhouse criticism of productions-in-progress, and informing the director, the cast and the audience about a play’s history and its current importance. In America, this type of dramaturgy is sometimes known as Production Dramaturgy.[5] Institutional or Production dramaturgs may make files of materials about a play's history or social context, prepare program notes, lead post-production discussions, or write study guides for schools and groups. These actions can assist a director in integrating textual and acting criticism, performance theory, and historical research into a production before it opens.[6]

Dramaturgy can also be referred to dance and performing arts in general. Some examples are:

Copyright

Since dramaturgy is defined in a general way and the function of a dramaturg may vary from production to production, the copyright issues regarding it in the United States have very vague borders.

In 1996, there was debate based on the question of the extent to which a dramaturg can claim ownership of a production, such as the case of Jonathan Larson, the author of the musical Rent and Lynn Thomson, the dramaturg on the production. Thomson claimed that she was a co-author of the work and that she never assigned, licensed or otherwise transferred her rights. She asked that the court declare her a co-author of Rent and grant her 16% of the author's share of the royalties. Although she made her claim only after the show became a Broadway hit, the case is not without precedent. For instance, 15% of the royalties of Angels in America go to playwright Tony Kushner's dramaturg. On June 19, 1998, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the original court's ruling that Thompson was not entitled to be credited with co-authorship of Rent and that she was not entitled to royalties.[7] The case was ultimately settled out of court with Thomson receiving an undisclosed sum after she threatened to remove her material from the production.

See also

References

Notes
  1. ↑ Cardullo, Bert. What is Dramaturgy? New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2005. p. 4.
  2. ↑ Britannical online at
  3. ↑ Eckersley, M. 1997. Soundings in the Dramaturgy of the Australian Theatre Director. University of Melbourne: Melbourne. p37.
  4. ↑ Terry McCabe. Mis-Directing the Play: An Argument Against Contemporary Theatre. p. 64.
  5. ↑ Eckersley, M. 1997. Soundings in the Dramaturgy of the Australian Theatre Director University of Melbourne. Melbourne. p9.
  6. ↑ Cardullo, Bert. What is Dramaturgy? New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2005. p. 4.
  7. ↑ Scott. T. Cummings, American Theatre, October 1997 at
Further reading

External links