Dramaturgy and Performance by Cathy Turner

CHARACTERICTICS
· Dramaturgical analysis looks towards the translation of verbal text into live performance. (35 odd)
· Brecht's dramaturgy pays more attention to context. The person is a mechanism that generates debate and action and the work that will be produced depends on the identification of a precise political significance of each moment. (39)
· The dramaturge needs to be the navigator who differentiates between what might be an important pathway and what is probably a false lead, keeping in mind the overall journey and direction. (176)
· A sense of being kind of close up and far away. (182)
· Dramaturges must be diplomats, finding the right way to pose difficult but necessary questions. (182)

TASKS

· Question- Why are we performing and for what audience? What is the link or bridge between the work and the world and its audience? (35 odd)
· Dramaturgy is produced through a dialogue between the play and a particular community of people in a particular time and place. (36)
· It concerns the seeing and forming the various links of things in the world, Settings, people, bodies, texts, histories, voices, architecture. (36)
· Make observations on structure, dynamics and communication. (172)
· Keep the project on task, retain a wealth of information and ensure all collaborations are working according to the same artistic agenda. (172)
· Research, giving feedback, documenting the process and structuring material. (173)
· Keep track of fast moving processes, maintain an overview, take stock, establish a coherent starting point for the ensemble, think of interesting connections between the different ideas. (174)
· Create a collection of different scenes, descriptions, images and ideas for the people to respond to. (174)
· Retain and organize information/ document everything.
· A dramaturge needs to be hungry, inquisitive, full of mischief and be able to throw something unexpected that moves the text and production process forward. (183)