What does a Dramaturg do?
Dramaturgs are experts in the study of plays, musicals, or operas. It is their job to provide the cast and crew with vital knowledge, research, and interpretation about the theatrical work in question so that they are—in turn—better equipped to do their jobs. Sometimes the information dramaturgs provide concerns the temporal, geographic, or cultural setting of a production, while other times it's about the playwright or librettist's life, or personal and political events that may have influenced the work.
Dramaturgy is a flexible career that often means a mix of office-based work, independent research and reading, participation in rehearsals and post-performance talkbacks, and time spent off the job discussing plays and networking with other like-minded dramaturgs.
At a Glance
Theaters typically look for candidates with at least a bachelor's degree in theater or literature, often preferring those with a master's degree. Because the position is a scholarly one that entails research into a variety of topics, including history, sociology, art, and linguistics, dramaturgs are well served by a broad course of study with a base in the liberal arts. Beginning dramaturgs may get their first credits working on college-level or community productions, or work their way up a theater company's literary department—starting with a literary apprenticeship—before taking on freelance dramaturgy work. Although this is not always the case, dramaturgs are often also playwrights themselves.
While dramaturgs working on productions are often hired on a freelance, per-project basis, dramaturgs frequently work full-time for large theater and opera companies as literary associates, hosting post-show talkbacks and conversations as well as providing program notes for the company's productions. Literary departments often have apprenticeship programs in lieu of, or in addition to, entry-level positions.
- Literary studies
- Arts criticism
- Broad knowledge of theater history
- Working knowledge of multiple languages
- Textual analysis
- Research
- Written and verbal communication
- Collaboration
Working as a dramaturg requires substantial research abilities, along with the analytical abilities to dig deep into a play's text and the communication skills to communicate all this information to actors, directors, and designers who lack the same literary basis. Dramaturgs are usually people who love reading, learning, and sharing knowledge with others.
Dramaturgs spend the broad majority of their working hours performing research by themselves. Their moment to shine, however, is the fairly small portion of their time that they spend conveying their research to the cast and crew in rehearsal. All in all, dramaturgy is a flexible career that often means a mix of office-based work, independent research and reading, participation in rehearsals and post-performance talkbacks, and time spent off the job discussing plays and networking with other like-minded dramaturgs.
