A little bit about me. I have, at the time of writing, served as the official dramaturg for 5 productions: Solve for Castrato* by Margie Pignataro; Wonderland in Alice by Margie Pignataro; The Time of Your Life by William Saroyan; We Won't Pay! We Won't Pay! by Dario Fo; and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. I am scheduled to serve as the dramaturg for Dr. Jonathan Marks' production of The Underpants by Carl Sternheim as adapted by Steve Martin in the coming Fall of 2009.
I have, however, found that dramaturgy is what I have been doing despite my non-knowledge of the concept. My peers have, for several years, sought out my advice and opinion about their scripts, performances, productions, and other creative activities. This, I have found, is one part of dramaturgy.
Now, perhaps this part is presumed as a natural part of dramaturgy. While I now have both an undergraduate degree in Theatre as well as a Master's degree in Theatre Art, peers have long valued my opinion(s) about their work. Did I have some special skill that led my opinion to be worth something? Do I have some superior knowledge that let my opinion to be valuable?
First, let me dispel the degree myth. While I now have a Master's degree it has always been peers seeking this opinion/advice. So, while I was an undergraduate it was other undergraduates. While a graduate it was (and still is) other graduates. So it is not my degree(s) alone which make my opinion valuable. What is it then?
I have a theory about this. It's very simple: I tell the truth. I am honest about my opinion of the work itself. What does that mean?
It's time for an example. I'm assuming that you've been around actors and or the theatre, but if you haven't I'll fill you in: actors (young ones especially) are in constant need of kind words and support. What this ends up leading to is an environment where truth isn't valued as highly as guarding other people's ego's and feelings. It has always been my opinion that those who cannot take constructive criticism are not meant for the field. Improvement tends to be based on hearing, understanding, acknowledging, and correcting what you have done poorly or wrong outright.
Why do I think this is my “secret power?” If someone brings their script or scene or performance to you and you have a reputation for being honest that means that they value honesty and that they seek .improvement. These are the people who will continue to work in the field, and so will you.
A quick note about this. I have left something very important out: you have to be willing to take constructive criticism as well. While telling the truth as you see it is very valuable in its own right, you need to understand that constantly learning about the art of theatre is required for your opinion to be valuable and true. You don't have to know everything, you just have to be willing to seek out knowledge about the things you don't know. This concludes Part 1 of the dramaturgy blog.
Part 2 will tackle preparatory work for serving as dramaturg on a production.
Until next time,
KYLE
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