We resume the Dramaturg Spotlight interviews today with words of wisdom from LaRonika Thomas. I admire LaRonika and her work, so I am delighted to present her voice in this forum. I enjoy when friends and colleagues share equal enthusiasm for highbrow art and pop culture, as LaRonika does in this interview. LaRonika is a [...]
Julie Felise Dubiner is one of my heroes. I first heard about her advocacy, fantastic dramaturgical skills, and undeniable sense of humor in 2003 from a friend who had been her intern. I looked her up and was hooked. With the advent of social media, it’s become easier to connect with the people we admire [...]
Today we feature David Copelin, a renaissance man with international flair. David is a dramaturg, playwright, academic, story consultant, translator, and a citizen of both Canada and the United States. While working on his own plays, David also runs workshops to consult with other playwrights and screenwriters. David Copelin Hometown: Los Angeles, CA Current town: [...]
I am based in the DC area, and for the past few weeks, every evening that I travel from the district into Virginia or vice versa, I enjoy the blue and purple tones reminiscent of the Northern Lights emanating from the Kennedy Center’s Nordic Cool Festival. For today’s interview, I want to extend my Nordic [...]
For many viewers, this week’s episode of Smash was their first introduction to the word dramaturg. Unfortunately for the TV show’s musical, Bombshell, (and for those of us who need to re-explain what we do to our friends and families) the function of dramaturg was misapplied. Many of my colleagues have written about the episode [...]
Today’s Spotlight shines on Jaz Dorsey, a Southern gentleman whose presence and charm I first noticed on the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA) listserv. Jaz always promotes and encourages his local writers, no matter which medium they favor. Jaz is the Director of Education for The Southern Appalachian International Film Festival and [...]
Introducing the dedicated and creative dramaturg Walter Byongsok Chon! Hometown: I was born in Bonn, Germany, lived there until I was eight, and then moved to Korea. I came to America to enter graduate school in 2005. Current town: New Haven, CT How do you explain dramaturgy? Dramaturgy is a creative practice that, through critical [...]
Today we continue our second week of dramaturgical conversations with an interview with the accomplished Maren Robinson of Chicago. I think it is safe to say that Maren is eventually going to work with every member of the Chicago arts community! Maren teaches for two institutes of higher learning, works with dance companies, and, to date, worked on over forty [...]
Today I am happy to present an interview with my colleague and friend Hannah Hessel. Since dramaturgs typically collaborate with artists in other disciplines, we do not always have a chance to work together, but I am blessed to work with Hannah often. Whether we work together on something large like season planning for Forum [...]
What IS a dramaturg? As a professional dramaturg and literary manager, this is the question I’m asked most often. Today, my answer is far different from what it was when I first started practicing, and I assume that it will continue to evolve and transform as the nature of theatre and my views as an [...]