Title: <i>Dramaturgy and Performance</i> (review)
Abstract: Reviewed by: Dramaturgy and Performance Ara G. Beal Dramaturgy and Performance. By Cathy Turner and Synne K. Behrndt. Theatre and Performance Practices. Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008; pp. 256. $24.95 paper. One of a handful of new monographs on dramaturgy, Cathy Turner and Synne Behrndt’s Dramaturgy and Performance was published only a year after Mary Luckhurst’s Dramaturgy: A Revolution in Theatre. When laying out what their work will accomplish, Turner and Behrndt clearly establish how their book differs from Luckhurst’s, stating that “it is now necessary to broaden the picture to include a wider range of practices . . . articulating contemporary approaches to the dramaturgy and the practice of the twenty-first-century dramaturg . . . to discuss a spectrum of possibilities and to place these in relation to ongoing international debates” (2). Luckhurst focused on new play dramaturgy; Turner and Behrndt cover a variety of current dramaturgical practices, concluding with a section titled “Millennial Dramaturgies.” Their goal, then, is to explore the practices of contemporary dramaturges, and envision how these practices will evolve in the future to further expand beyond traditional new play and production dramaturgy. Generally, the book successfully accomplishes these tasks. Turner and Behrndt plot a careful course, beginning with an introductory chapter that lays out their approach and introduces the major issues they will address in the book. This is followed by a history of dramaturgy that focuses on Germany’s strong historical influence, and progresses to discuss more recent trends found in British political theatre. Drawing a somewhat tenuous trajectory between Brecht and contemporary British playwright David Edgar, this historical framework sets up the second part of the book, which covers dramaturgy in contemporary England. This section is broken down into chapters based mostly on the dramaturg’s working relationships: with the institution, the playwright, the production, and devised work. The historical overview of the first section provides little in the way of either new information or perspective. Those familiar with theatre history will be familiar with the names and works included, while those familiar with the more specific history of dramaturgy will find the commonly accepted narrative of the development of the practice. The section is not poorly researched or written, but the overview does not link strongly enough to the second part of the book that examines contemporary practices. It is true that “Brecht’s work has been key to the development of contemporary dramaturgy and the dramaturg” (12)—this is neither a new nor debated statement—but since the authors do not draw clear connections between Brecht and the dramaturgical practices they discuss later, the amount of detail they present seems superfluous to their exploration of new dramaturgies. Turner and Behrndt “hope to encourage a sense of the diversity of the field” (14). For the most part they succeed; by introducing a number of new dramaturgical practices in alternative performance forms and new media, the reader gains an understanding of the ways the field is expanding and diversifying. One of the strengths of the book is the inclusion of dance dramaturgy and multimedia dramaturgy, including video games and virtual space/reality. These new and emerging fields have been addressed only in limited fashion in performance scholarship, but more and more dramaturgs are branching out into this type of work. Unfortunately, Turner and Behrndt limit the discussions on these innovative approaches to only a few pages each, providing an important acknowledgment of changes in the profession, but failing to offer full descriptions or complex interrogations of these practices. In their attempt to describe dramaturgical practices beyond the traditional, Turner and Behrndt rely heavily on extensive interviews they conducted with practicing dramaturgs. These interviews provide numerous case studies and commentary from dozens of dramaturgs who work in a variety of different contexts and utilize a number of different approaches. The reader hears from dramaturgs who work in England, the United States, Bulgaria, and many other Western countries. These dramaturgs talk about their experiences creating new works with avant-garde companies, their work with dance companies, and even how dramaturgy applies in video-game development. This cacophony of voices contributes to a problem that is simply endemic to the study of dramaturgy: dramaturgy is...
Publication Year: 2009
Publication Date: 2009-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot