Letters to a professional turg (part 2)

my second letter was sent to Amy Jensen


Amy is the NYC regional vice president for the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas. Interests include devised theatre, site-specific theatre, theatre for young audiences, dance theatre, and community-based theatre.

Sent to Amy Jensen

My name is Amber Cummings and I am studying dramaturgy, at Utah Valley University. I have an assignment to find a professional dramaturg and ask them about five question I feel would be important to my work as an up and coming dramaturg.

I have been doing some research on whom to talk and I came across your pages and blog, and I think you may have some very valuable information to help me through my journey. I would very much like to email you a few questions and just have you help enlighten the process. If this is at all possible please send me an email back.

The questions I have for you are easy to answer they are simply about your process as a dramatrug:

1. After reading the script how did you decide where to start your research?

2.  Did you come up with a process that you used for every script?

3. How did you interact with director, actors and designers?

4. What was your job during the rehearsal process?

5. What would be the one piece of advice you would give to someone, like me, looking to be a professional dramatrug?

 Thank you again,

Amber N. Cummings

from: Amy Jensen

to:  Amber 

Hello Amber,

1. After reading the script how did you decide where to start your research?

The type and amount of research I do varies with each production. In early discussions with the director, I try to discuss if there are any particular areas that she or he would like me to work on, either for the production team or for the cast. To prepare for this discussion, I like to already have read the script and do enough background research on the playwright and the piece to have a list of areas that I anticipate being important. Then, in discussion, I may find that some of these areas correspond to what the director is interested in pursuing and I can bring them up to discuss with the director.

Research can also take a few different shapes, and that also can be a factor in determining what to research. For most projects, I have created several actors’ packets, and often gather written materials to have on hand in rehearsal. Many dramaturgs now choose to put their research online via a a blog and invite actors to comment. This is nice in that people can easily link to videos and images, etc. Some dramaturgs have created image boards for productions. Often visual research can have a great impact on a piece. At least twice I have put together field trips for actors in which they go visit someone who has expertise in the field they are representing; for example, a protagonist and her lover were astrophysicists and we were able to meet with an astrophysicist at a planetarium, have a star sho and talk about the life of an astrophysicist. Although the format should not dictate what research you do, sometimes keeping in mind the various ways it can be shared helps spur ideas

 and questions.

Much of the research comes from the script itself: references, context, and pronunciation. Sometimes this is done for you; sometimes it is not. If the play has been edited and changed over the years, frequently research will include seeing what was changed and analyzing what differences those changes made to the script, etc. If a play has been translated and the director is choosing a translation, sometimes the dramaturg may be involved in doing research on the translations.

Additional research usually includes the playwright’s life (major influences, similar themes or the progression of _____ elements in the playwright’s work), and notable past productions. Some directors want to hear about this; others don’t. Still, it is a good idea to be aware of it yourself.

There are several books and articles that I will suggest reading. Dramaturgy in American Theatre: a Sourcebook is a great resource and several articles will answer your question in different ways. If you look at Cary Mazer’s article, he uses a particular play and the research done on that piece that influenced the production that is quite intriguing. I like Travis Preston and Royston Coppenger’s article on how they work together in the overall process. Another great article is Elinor Fuch’s “EF’s Visit to a Small planet: Some Questions to Ask a Play,” in Theatre: 34:2. She asks a lot of great questions that could be used in doing research on a piece. I can’t say that I’ve fully answered all of the questions she asks when working on a piece, but they can be very illuminating.

2.  Did you come up with a process that you used for every script?

Because each production is different, I do not follow a set process in conducting research. I do try to hit the main points, as noted above. However several dramaturgs have written about their process: Between the Lines: the Process of Dramaturgy by Judith Rudakoff and Lynn M. Thomson, Geoff Prohel’s Towards a Dramaturgical Sensibility, The Process of Dramaturgy: a Handbook by Scott R. Irelan, Anne Fletcher, and Julie Felise Dubiner, and Michael Mark Chemers’ Ghost Light: an Introductory Handbook for Dramaturgy. For articles on play analysis, I also suggest “Dramaturgy in the Classroom” by Carey Mazer and “Teaching Play Analysis” by Shelley Orr.

 3. How did you interact with director, actors and designers?

This varies for each production and each director, particularly depending on how early in the process you have been brought on. This question can be read to either be very general (how does one) or personal (how do I, Amy, work with directors, etc.). I’ll try to give a bit of both responses.

You did not ask, but if it is a new piece, collaboration with the playwright is extremely important. If at all possible, I like to talk with the playwright before rehearsals in order to learn what the playwright’s impetus was in writing the piece, and learn more about where they feel it is in the writing process. These are basic questions, but they can be key in helping you understand the spine and trajectory of the piece, as well as how to talk with the playwright. If she or he is not interested in rewriting, the collaboration will differ than, say, if she or he feels that a certain scene or character, etc. still needs work and would like you to give feedback on that specifically.

I find these questions are particularly key in setting up that you are a collaborator focused on the interests of the playwright(s). In working with new playwrights or playwrights who have never worked with a dramaturg, they can be somewhat hesitant or unsure of how to work together. This hesitancy can come from inexperience, but it can also be based on bad experiences or a negative perception of dramaturgs. Why? There are several concerns, first being that the presence of a dramaturg implies that something is wrong with the script and that changes have to be made. Good dramaturgs don’t work with that assumption, but because a dramaturg is often assigned to the play by the theatre and not by the playwright, those tensions can exist. There are also other concerns: will a dramaturg force a playwright to make changes in order for it to be easier to produce; will a dramaturg try to start trying to make it reflect her or his own interests rather than the playwright’s? The lis

t continues. Unfortunately, there are dramaturgs who imply that they rate how effective their collaboration was by many changes they got the playwright to make, and there are dramaturgs who go on power trips. That, however, is not good collaboration. By asking good questions and really pursuing the intentions of the playwright(s), I’ve developed good relationships with playwrights.

A challenge, even in good collaborations, is keeping communication very open in terms of what the playwright and dramaturg understand the dramaturg will be doing on the piece. There have been projects in which a dramaturg contributes text. I contributed text for two productions in which there was not a central playwright. I enjoyed writing, but because I didn’t have a conversation about how that changed/affected my role in the collaboration, in one production I ended up on getting any credit for contributing text. Lynn Thomson was the dramaturg for Rent, and although she said she and Jonathan Larson had discussed that she would be compensated for contributing text to the piece, he passed away very suddenly and nothing was in writing. She appealed for compensation; his family/estate refused. She took them to court. Eventually they settled out of court. It was a divisive case; some chose to see it as dramaturgs trying to claim authorship and became suspicious of dramaturgs. On t

he other hand, major playwrights, like Tony Kushner, spoke on the case about how important the work of a dramaturg had been to his work.

I have had directors who have chosen to work closely with me, asking me to attend most of the rehearsals and frequently discussing the direction the play was going. For other pieces, I have been in rehearsal less frequently, attending run-throughs or other key meetings and rehearsals. Your relationship with the director is probably influenced by his or her past experience with dramaturgs. Face-to-face interaction with a director at the start of the process is particularly key for initial conversations. It’s important for a dramaturg to understand the director’s impetus in working on this piece and her or his trajectory for it, the type of journey she or he is planning.

Just as playwrights and dramaturgs have had their issues, dramaturgs and directors have as well. Some directors have publicly stated that they see no need for the position of a dramaturg.  Again, because a dramaturg is often assigned to the play by the theatre, by and large a director is working with the dramaturg for a first time and the match may or may not work well in terms of temperament and work styles. Ultimately it means that a dramaturg has to learn to be a savvy but open and good communicator and collaborator.

With experience I have learned (and continue to learn) to gage what I communicate, when, and to whom. When I read about learning when to give a comment, I thought it was primarily a matter of reading people and when they would be open to receiving that note. It’s much more than that; it has more to do with the development of the play. There are times when you develop the sense that a note, even if a good note, is either no longer applies because of where the piece is going, or it may be better to give at another time. I have found that if I give the same note to a director or playwright twice, odds are that it either does not make sense and I should clarify it, or does not resonate to the director or actor and I should stop pursuing it. Because rehearsals are usually at night and people need to leave after they finish, I often have to type up my notes. Sometimes I can give them in person, which I prefer, but that does not always possible.

In terms of the cast: I often talk with the director to find out how she/he likes the dramaturg to interact with the cast. Some directors have a very open rehearsal room and would like you to join in the conversation if an idea comes up. Other directors would prefer for you to write a note and often email them after rehearsal (talking to the director about your note would be nice, but time usually does not permit that). It’s good to ask before you begin. Often I create an actors’ packet ask the director if she/he would like me to discuss key dramaturgical elements on the first day of rehearsal, along with other designers. As I wrote about earlier, other interactions with the actors can take place in field trips, in answering questions, on blogs, etc.

When working in theatres, I found that the designers often had completed their work on the piece by the time I met them, or they are brought on close to the end of the piece and there is, again, little interaction. However, I worked on one piece in which the designers were frequently in the room and were asking fantastic dramaturgical questions and/or had great dramaturgical solutions. Good designers work dramaturgically, even if they don’t know it. In fact, I spoke with one opera dramaturg who related that there can be a tension between dramaturgs and designers because the designer’s concepts often set the dramaturgy of the piece in a very real way.

4. What was your job during the rehearsal process?

Not to be redundant, but this again varies. In some rehearsal processes I have done primarily research. In others, I have been in close dialogue with the director. Sometimes I have been at rehearsal every day, and for others I have come in once a week, at run-throughs. Often when the piece is being introduced to the cast, the dramaturg will be asked to talk to the cast at that point, perhaps go over key concepts and let the cast know how to access your research, either distributing actors’ packets or giving the blog address, etc. Almost all  dramaturgs attend run-throughs in order to see how the piece is working overall, how the pieces are all working together (or not). If you have other questions about this, please feel free to ask.

5. What would be the one piece of advice you would give to someone, like me, looking to be a professional dramaturg?

Dramaturgy is a fundamental component in the process of making theatre; however, as a position, it is fairly niche and, by and large, does not have high compensation or stability. Not all theatres have a staffed position for a dramaturg, and few positions open each year. Working as a dramaturg requires not only all of the skills to do the work itself, but a lot of ingenuity, work, determination, networking, people skills, curiosity, openness, and optimism. Anne Cattaneo, who works at Lincoln Center, said that you work with your friends. I have found that to be true and means a few different things. First, you need to find out who your friends are, who makes the kind of work that you want to make, what companies or theatres you love. There is a general understanding that you have to be friendly, i.e. a good communicator that people can trust both artistically and personally. But friendship is also based on personalities, interests, and needs and I’ve had to recognize that I am

not the Dramaturg for All Seasons or all directors or all theatres. It’s important to actively and genuinely be curious and engaged, to ask questions that genuinely interest you, and find people who find your questions, curiosities, loves of interest to them. You find these people in a variety of ways. Internships and informational interviews are a great place to start. I once interviewed a playwright who, based on our interaction, my interest, and his need to fill a position for a festival he was working on, I was asked to participate. Attending festivals is important, particularly in order to get to know which playwrights are being produced where; reading plays and having pieces you’d love to do/champion is really important (I think I did not get an internship because I didn’t have enough examples of plays I loved); and seeing theatre is fundamental to the job.

That said, frequently it means a dramaturg will work in another capacity within the theatre or academia (a director, a literary manager, a producer, an outreach director, a professor) or another job. I know of only one freelancer who lives solely off of what she makes freelancing, and I admire her tenacity and skill. I’m currently freelancing and have a job that is not in theatre, and it can be a challenge maintaining the focus and balance I really want to have.

At this stage, I would suggest being involved in productions at your school. Even if you are in a role other than dramaturg, it is important to understand the process of making work. I would also suggest asking if you can shadow Elizabeth Williamson for a period of time on a show. She may not have time (she is incredibly busy working on several project), but if now is not a good time, she may later on. I also suggest becoming a member of LMDA and, if possible, attending their conference. It’s the best way to meet the most dramaturges you will ever meet at one time, and people are very personable and willing to give advice and suggestions. LMDA has a small scholarship for early career dramaturgs to help with travel costs and sometimes your university might have professionalization funds students for which students can apply.