Oxford dictionary defines dramaturgy as, “the craft or the techniques of dramatic composition.” It is the study of writing dramatic texts and the representation of the main elements of drama on the stage. A specialist in dramaturgy, especially one who acts as a consultant to a theater company, advising them on possible repertory is called dramaturg. Dramaturgy in sociological perspective is also commonly used in micro-sociological accounts of social interactions in everyday life. The term was first adapted to sociology from the theatre by Erving Goffman, who developed most of the related terminology and ideas in his book, the presentation of self in Everyday life.
From its definition, dramaturgy is used multiple times based on the contextual difference in the book Dramaturgy In Motion by Katherine Profeta. On the beginning of the introduction, Profeta has said that dramaturgy is often found in different phrases. Some used, “to indicate the proprietary structure of a single play or a body of work.” (3) The single play is meant to be something crafted on a piece of paper and the bodywork is all the performs played on the stage which can include speeches and dialogues. Profita has also mentioned on her book that dramaturgy addresses how it manifests itself theatrically, conventional priorities tend to focus on how the performers articulate the text, and how that speech is supported or contradicted by the theatrical apparatus that surrounds it. This implies dramaturgy can be categorized into musical, classical, contemporary or some other form to help the dramaturgs work on a specific area; opera, dance, film, and television. In overall, Dramaturgy is used in such forms in the book to teach its similarity with theatre and showing what each motion and text mean.
When someone talks about the quality of motion, text, language, speech, literal and, figure, it is all about the dramaturgy. Dramaturgy is the deep root of all these elements of drama which shows how body movement can be used to say something meaningful. In theatrical world, dramaturgy is used frequently when talking about text, motion, and its quality. Profeta has stated that “there is no essential difference between theatre and dramaturgy.” (9). In overall, the book is mainly focusing on how dramaturgy is used in every theatrical life and how those dramaturgical/theatrical compositions give meaning.
English Oxford Living Dictionaries "Transgressive." Accessed 7 Jan 2018. https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/transgressive. Profeta, Katherine. 2015. "Research" Dramaturgy in Motion: At Work on Dance and Movement Performance. 61-87. USA: University of Wisconsin, Profeta, Katherine. "Research and Audience" Dramaturgy in Motion. 61-138. USA: Library of Congress, 2015.
Hi Johannnes,
A few writing related issues. Titles of books should be in italics and it would be helpful for you to go to the writing center to work with grammar and punctuation. Also, I’m not sure where you got the Goffman information, but you have to cite the source, even if it is not a direct quote.
I want to focus on two words that characterize dramaturgy which you used in your essay. In the second paragraph you mention “structure” and “craft.” The point of dramatugy – and what a dramaturg attends to in the making of a dramatic text or performance (so in the realization of that text on the stage – or the realization of a devised dance on a stage) is how all the elements are put together to “make meaning.” While you identify the elements that the dramaturg is involved with – the question of why she is there is not in this essay – and really that’s the most important part. If there are not connections between what goes before or what comes next on stage – then the performance is not coherent and the audience will not understand or they will lose interest. Sometimes, the choreographer or director has a particular focus and while there is a coherence to the elements on the stage, it doesn’t add up to their vision. So this is what the dramaturg atttends to — what to bring to the stage that fulfills that vision, what doesn’t work, how to sequence a structure and to give feedback on what might strengthen a dramatic arc or an expression of the artist’s vision. Profeta’s arguement is that a dramaturg is the person that attends to that structure so that it can be comprehended by the audience when they encounter the performance.