The art of dramaturgy /
Cattaneo, Anne,1949-author.
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.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Introduction: What Is a Dramaturg? -- 1. Find Your Way In: Approaching a Great Classic for the First Time -- 2. Expand the Repertory: Discovering Archival Plays and Finding Their Audiences -- 3. Love and Encourage: Supporting a Playwright's Work as It Develops Over a Lifetime -- 4. Reflect Light Back: Working with Actors and Framing How the Audience Sees a Play -- GUIDE YOUR AUDIENCE: THE COAST OF UTOPIA PROGRAM INSERTS -- 5. Create Work and Opportunities: Dramaturg-Created Productions and Programs -- 6. Step Across Time and Place: Cross-Cultural Investigation -- 7. Search Beyond the Words: Enacting the Unconscious -- 8. Appreciate New Forms and Styles -- 9. Deepen an Interpretation: A Classical Play Successfully Reimagined -- 10. See with New Eyes: Revisiting a Great Classic in Yet a New Way -- To a Young Dramaturg
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.
Drama
Dramaturges.