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The Art of Dramaturgy - Hardcover | Diverse Reads

The Art of Dramaturgy

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An introduction to the mysterious theater role of a dramaturg by a legend in the field

“This book is marvelous. . . . Fascinating. . . . An absolute joy to read.”—Gil Roth, Virtual Memories podcast

Anne Cattaneo was among the first Americans to fill the role of dramaturg, one of theater’s best kept secrets. A combination of theater artist, scholar, researcher, play advocate, editor, and writer’s friend, it is the job of a dramaturg to “reflect light back on the elements that are already in play,” while bringing a work of theater to life. Cattaneo traces the field from its beginnings in the eighteenth century to the present and chronicles the multitude and variety of tasks a dramaturg undertakes before, during, and after a production is brought to the stage. Using detailed stories from her work with theater artists such as Tom Stoppard, Wendy Wasserstein, Robert Wilson, Shi-Zheng Chen, and Sarah Ruhl, as well as the discovery of a “lost” play by Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston, Cattaneo provides an invaluable manual to those studying, working in, and interested in this most fascinating profession.

ISBN-13: 9780300233698

Media Type: Hardcover

Publisher: Yale University Press

Publication Date: 09-21-2021

Pages: 336

Product Dimensions: 6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.00(d)

Anne Cattaneo is the longtime dramaturg of Lincoln Center Theater, and creator and head of the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab. At the announcement of her 2020 Guggenheim Fellowship for Theater Arts, American Theatre Magazine saluted her as “a legendary dramaturg.”

Table of Contents

Preface: A Dramaturg's Life IX

Introduction: What Is a Dramaturg? 1

Chapter 1 Find Your Way In: Approaching a Great Classic for the First Time 42

Chapter 2 Expand the Repertory: Discovering Archival Plays and Finding Their Audiences 62

Chapter 3 Love and Encourage: Supporting a Playwright's Work as It Develops Over a Lifetime 83

Chapter 4 Reflect Light Back: Working with Actors and Framing How the Audience Sees a Play 102

Guide Your Audience: The Coast of Utopia Program Inserts 120

Chapter 5 Create Work and Opportunities: Dramaturg-Created Productions and Programs 129

Chapter 6 Step Across Time and Place: Cross-Cultural Investigation 150

Chapter 7 Search Beyond the Words: Enacting the Unconscious 167

Chapter 8 Appreciate New Forms and Styles 190

Chapter 9 Deepen an Interpretation: A Classical Play Successfully Reimagined 218

Chapter 10 See with New Eyes: Revisiting a Great Classic in Yet a New Way 236

To a Young Dramaturg 254

Appendix 1 A Dramaturg's Toolkit 257

Appendix 2 My 100 Interesting Things List: A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1982 262

Appendix 3 My 100 Interesting Things List: The Coast of Utopia in 2006-2007 265

Appendix 4 My List of Images: The Coast of Utopia 270

Appendix 5 A Syllabus for a Course on Classical Play Interpretation 272

Suggested Reading 275

Notes 277

Acknowledgments 289

Index 291