Inspired by Brookly-based playwright Matt Freeman's blog entry, "Playwriting is Like" [see archive], I have perhaps imprudently created a bunch of my own.
Sorry.
-Doc
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Dramaturgy is like being that one scientist in the Godzilla movies who says “for god’s sake, don’t do that!” and then they do it and Godzilla destroys the city and everyone blames you anyway.
Dramaturgy is like throwing a rope to someone in quicksand who keeps saying “Quicksand? What quicksand?”
Dramaturgy is like leading a team of intrepid, fearless explorers into a deep dark cave for hours and hours and you turn around and no one is there.
Dramaturgy is like discovering, trapping and mounting a rare and exotic insect, spending years unlocking its secrets, and in so doing revealing valuable and wonderful lessons of life, and when you present the findings at the science conference everyone is horrified that you killed the insect.
Dramaturgy is like being in love with someone who is somehow never around when your friends want to meet her.
Dramaturgy is like finding a cure for a disease that no one is complaining to be suffering from.
Dramaturgy is like getting lost on your way to the map store.
Dramaturgy is like studying for years and years and then getting a terrible job which affords you the most meager existence possible and you are totally unappreciated and you wake up every day and you can't WAIT to go to work.
Dramaturgy is like being in a room where everyone is blindfolded except you, and you're gagged.
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Ghost Light is the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Production Dramaturgy Program at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Drama. The "Ghost Light" model of dramaturgy is a muscular, critically engaged, artistically vibrant approach to dramaturgy that requires thorough historical understanding, theoretical training broad and deep, and a passionate dedication to creating powerful, relevant performance of all types.
Use this blog to:
USE THIS BLOG TO:
*Communicate with the rest of the collective by posting comments, queries, observations, anecdotes, discoveries, cries for attention, and information relevant to your production work, as you will. * Share the site address with your casts and crews - post links to your packets and dossiers. * Use the RSS feeds which link to a number of sites of interest to us, and suggest new ones. * Recruit people you know who might be interested in joining the program. *
*Communicate with the rest of the collective by posting comments, queries, observations, anecdotes, discoveries, cries for attention, and information relevant to your production work, as you will. * Share the site address with your casts and crews - post links to your packets and dossiers. * Use the RSS feeds which link to a number of sites of interest to us, and suggest new ones. * Recruit people you know who might be interested in joining the program. *
Thanks for posting this - it's an interesting and funny insight into a dramaturg's work. I currently read your book "Ghost Light" for an MFA course and found it enjoyable and useful.
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