Dramaturgy 101 Assignment

Amy Steele wrote an excellent article on dramaturgy called "Dramaturgy 101". I like this article because it is personal and at least I, have more interest in things when they have a personal sense to them because it makes them more real and appealing. Moreover, Amy Steele writes in a very organized way where she goes step by step and explains to you thoroughly what dramaturgy is and all the concepts that a dramaturgist has to take in consideration, which is a lot. Before reading this article, I thought dramaturgs where only in charge of looking at the historical background of the play; however, they are in charge of much more that this. A dramaturgists has look look at the play from a "literart and performance standpoint... but also... investigated the social political, cultural, and historical contexts of the play's world. You have to be able to know everything about this play and really go deeper into the world of the play to be able to understand it and look at it from another perspective; from the perspective of the characters and of the time and be able to portray this findings to the actors and to the director because the actors are the one who are going to present this play to the audience and to portray everything that the dramaturgs see, and to be able to do this, the dramaturg has to taken them inside the world of the play with them. I thought that it was quite interesting and creative the way Steele did this by playing music of the time in the rehearsals and giving the actors food of the time because it's a way of emerging ALL senses into the story and it makes it easier for the actors to be able to become their characters and really walk like them, talk like them, BE them. Furthermore, what I like about Steele's way of writing is that she starts with a hook that really helps the reader become interested in the article. When she says "Through her multidimensional understanding of the dramatic material, she was able to help me appreciate how truly rich the play was", she is helping you see what the main idea of the dramaturgists really is and what they help you see. Because they analyze every concept that has to do with the play, it takes you into a deeper layer and gives you a knowledge no one else understands and that the actors have to show the audience. Dramaturgs help you see the play in other eyes and to be able to really get inside it and appreciate every aspect of it and all the metaphors that are expressed in it and to be able to dig deep into them and know their real meaning. All of this helps the actors to do a better job in becoming the character because they are able to understand thoroughly the secrets and aspects that are inside the story. In addition, I found it very effective that at the end Steele gave some ideas on how to do dramaturgists activities with the students because it expands our knowledge on what dramaturgy is all about and when she gave a specific list of all the concepts you have to go through, it helps the students be able to get organized and do a better job. Also, I thought her idea that you have to "encourage them to find their own hook into the play- something that really interests or speaks to them" was very effective because students won't do a good job if they are not really interested in the project. In many occasions I have found myself presenting and doing a better job in a presentation when I had to present a topic which I thought was interesting than one that I didn't really care about so helping the students find something that talks to them or really interests them about the play or the subject will help them do a better job. Finally, I really liked Steele's article because it helped you enter the world of a dramaturgists and also helped you become one. Not only that, but she wrote in a deeper more psychological way, which made you analyze more the concept and what it really means to be a dramaturgists. This article has helped me a lot to perceive dramaturgists in another way and to really appreciate their work because they are the ones that have the key to the door that leads you to the mysteries of a play.

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