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Dramaturgy Database

What is Dramaturgy, what is a Dramaturg?

In this report, Peter Eckersall first explains the role of the dramaturg as it was originally intended. Then, later on, he focuses on the fact that the UK-based Dramaturgy Network give many different explanations of what the work of a dramaturg entails. This, to keep the term ‘dramaturg’ as broad and multi-interpretable as possible. Next to this, it’s important to keep in mind that in dramaturgy not only the analysis of the playtext is needed. It is also important to keep maintaining focus on other theatrical aspects as well, like; changes in space, sounds, lights, and so on. With this notion, Eugenio Barba talks about ‘the weave’, or: ‘the creative combination of all the theatrical elements’, and its dramaturgy.

Eckersall, Peter. ‘What is dramaturgy, what is a dramaturg?’ The Dramaturgies Project. RealTime, issue 70, Dec-Jan 2005: pg 25-. https://www.realtime.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/RT70_dramaturgies.pdf