Dramaturgy in the Making: A User's Guide for Theatre

Practitioners by Katalin Trencsényi (review)

Randi Evans

Dance Research Journal, Volume 49, Number 2, August 2017, pp. 104-106
(Review)

Published by Cambridge University Press

For additional information about this article

https://muse.jhu.edu/article/668987

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 5. Of the 180 works by Yakobson that Ross Zvezdochkin, Valeriy. 2007. Tvorchestvo Leonida
lists in the Appendix (435–453), all of six (3%) Yakobsona [The Creativity of Leonid Yakob-
had Jewish themes (11)—as many as son]. Sankt Peterburg: Sankt-Peterburgskiy
Spanish-themed works—and until the 1960s, gumanitarniy universitet profsoyuzov.
his unfamiliarity with Jewish traditions is also
quite evident (e.g., 61–2, 205, 210–1).
6. Of course, “archiving” in this sense con- Dramaturgy in the Making: A
tradicts Taylor’s definition in The Archive and User’s Guide for Theatre
the Repertoire (2003), making one wonder to
Practitioners
what purpose Ross (2015, 423) cites this theory.
7. Ross’s claim that Yakobson was a “mod-
by Katalin Trencsényi. 2015. London: Bloomsbury
ernist” has been popular for decades, as evinced Publishing. 326 pp., notes, select bibliography,
by Solomon Volkov’s St. Petersburg: A Cultural index. $91.99 cloth, ISBN: 9781472576750; $29.93
History (1995, esp. 506). paper, ISBN: 9781408155653.
doi:10.1017/S0149767717000250

Works Cited The relationship between dance and dramaturgy is

not a new phenomenon, but it has received
Croft, Claire. 2009. “Ballet Nations: The nascent attention and conversation in the United
New York City Ballet;s 1962 US State States in the past decade as evidenced through
Department-Sponsored Tour of the Soviet examples such as the TDR/The Drama Review doc-
Union.” Theatre Journal 61(3): 421–442. umented collaboration between scholar Susan
Figes, Orlando. 2002. Natasha’s Dance. Manning and choreographer Reggie Wilson on
New York: Picador. Wilson’s most recent work, Moses(es) (Manning
Pinkus, Benjamin. 1984. The Soviet Government 2015), forums such as Chicago Dancemakers’
and the Jews, 1948–1967: A Documented Study. Cultural Conversations: Dance + Dramaturgy
Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. (May 9, 2015), and Society of Dance History
Plisetskaya, Maya. 2001. I, Maya Plisetskaya. Scholar’s 2011 conference entitled Dance
Translated by Antonina W. Bouis. New Dramaturgy: Catalyst, Perspective, and Memory.
Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Despite this growing dialogue, much mystique
Souritz, Elizabeth. 1990. Soviet Choreographers remains in place for dance dramaturgy because
in the 1920s. Translated by Lynn Visson, of dramaturgy’s origins in theater and dramatic
edited by Sally Banes. London: Dance Books. text. How does one act as dramaturg for dance?
Swift, Mary Grace. 1968. The Art of the Dance in Furthermore, does dance need a dramaturg?
the U.S.S.R. Notre Dame, IN: University of This latter question is one that Katalin
Notre Dame Press. Trencsényi attempts to answer in her book
Taylor, Diana. 2003. The Archive and the Dramaturg in the Making: A User’s Guide for
Repertoire. Durham, NC: Duke University Theatre Practitioners. Although the book’s primary
Press. emphasis is on theater, dance is the subject of its
Vidal, Fernando. 2003. “Contextual Biography own section. In addition, the depth and breadth
and the Evolving Systems Approach to of case studies can serve a dance practitioner or
Creativity.” Creativity Research Journal 15 scholar in thinking across a variety of contexts,
(1): 73–82. from traditional to more experimental practices.
Volkov, Solomon. 1995. St. Petersburg: A Trencsényi is a seasoned freelance drama-
Cultural History. New York: Simon & turg working in London. The book is fore-
Schuster. grounded as a manual, hence its title. However,
Winkler, Martin M. 2007. “Introduction.” In while Trencsényi generally follows the four-step
Spartacus: Film and History, edited by process developed by dramaturg Mira
Martin M. Winkler (1–13). Malden, MA: Rafalowicz when describing her dramaturgical
Blackwell. case studies, she is concerned less with defining
Zozulina, Nataliya. 2010. Teatr Leonida the role of a dramaturg than in thinking about
Yakobsona [The Theater of Leonid Yakobson]. how the work of the dramaturg has functioned
Sankt Peterburg: Liki Rossiy. historically and in the present. The book employs

104 DRJ 49/2 • AUGUST 2017

a comparative methodology using case studies feedback and keeping Khan on task in consider-
supported by textual analysis, factual evidence, ing the role and use of text and language.
and theater and performance theories. This Notable is the fact that Khan took the whole cre-
allows the book to work in multiple ways: it ative team to Bangladesh to conduct on-site
provides a history of the development of the research with each individual spending time col-
dramaturg from institutional settings to inside lecting, gathering, and researching the environ-
the rehearsal room, gives voice to a breadth of ment before reconvening and sharing findings.
current practitioners, and provides case studies This case study provides a lens through which
of the processes of specific dramaturgical projects to consider how the dance-making process
in different contexts. This approach of what it stretches beyond the actual choreography,
looks like rather than what it is allows the reader examining the labor that takes place to inform
to see how the work of the dramaturg has choreographic and production-based choices
unfolded not only temporally but spatially as well. as well. This procedurally focused lens highlights
Due to this focus, there are considerations the minutiae of the creative process, but also
of the work of dramaturgy that do not necessar- foregrounds what kinds of development and
ily correlate to a strict role or title, for example, research can occur across a span of time with
artistic director, literary manager, critic, or cura- the ample resources of an institutional company
tor. As such, this framework is less concerned structure, which is not always prevalent in the
with the bearer of the role and more focused lives of many contemporary choreographers.
on how the work of dramaturgy transpires. Although not set up as such, the solo work,
Dramaturgy in the Making is divided into Sumida River, set on Denise Fujiwara by Natsu
three sections: institutional dramaturgy, pro- Nakajima, serves as a potent contrast to Khan’s
duction dramaturgy, and dance dramaturgy. process and the philosophies of their respective
Each section consists of several chapters that dramaturgs. This case study highlights a
provide historical and theoretical overviews of product-led approach to dance dramaturgy as
particular practices as well as detailed case stud- Elizabeth Langley, a seasoned dancer and educa-
ies from the field. In this way the book moves tor, eschews the insertion of the dramaturg into
between history, theory, and practice, with the creative process and instead prefers to focus
Trencsényi providing synthesis and analysis. on refining the end result. Nakajima set the
Although broad in scope, geographically work of Sumida River onto Fujiwara in 1994,
the work is limited mainly to a European/ but the work took five years to further develop
North American context. There are, however, for performance. The process of learning the
notable moments of cross-cultural examina- work was challenging for Fujiwara in part due
tions. In particular, the section on dance high- to the pedagogical approach by Japan-based
lights the work of Akram Khan with his butoh choreographer Natsu Nakajima as well as
dramaturg Ruth Little; the work of Denise due to the cross-cultural challenges between
Fujiwara and Natsu Nakajima is discussed in their philosophies of performance. Langley likens
relation to dramaturg Elizabeth Langley. These herself to a “life coach” summarizing her per-
examples, although not explicitly focused on sonal philosophy as such: “hands off the content
examining cross-cultural exchange, allow space and the choreography but hands on those
to think about the hybridization of forms and underpinning elements that create potency in
the divergent ways dramaturgs can serve both every single moment” (251). She worked with
process and end product. Fujiwara to deconstruct and reconstruct the cho-
Trencsényi follows the development of reography while also serving as a type of liaison.
Akram Khan’s 2011 solo DESH, which moves Through Langley’s understanding of the source
between Britain and Bangladesh and explores material of the solo as well as her awareness of
identity, land, and home. This case study reveals the difficulties Fujiwara was encountering in
the process through which the work was devel- this cross-cultural exchange, Langley was able to
oped. For instance, Khan spends a considerable ask questions and refine material that strength-
amount of time on research and development, ened Fujiwara’s performance appeasing both
and set choreography is not often implemented dancer and choreographer.
until the final stage of the process. Little served The historical sections on dance drama-
as both observer and participant, offering turgy offer two views of the development of
DRJ 49/2 • AUGUST 2017 105
 the practice and role. The first chapter considers Trencsényi refers to. The confluence of institu-
the development of the philosophy and poetics tional roles such as producer, curator, literary
of choreography Trencsényi traces from manager, and artistic director highlights how
Lucian of Samosata’s On Dance, which com- the work of dramaturgy happens beyond the
pares and contrasts pantomime dancing, to scope of the stage when considering how reper-
postclassical tragedy in the second century AD. tory for a theater is established as well as the rela-
Trencsényi then provides a truncated history tionship between theater spaces and their
through the royal courts of Italy all the way to respective audiences. Here, Trencsényi provides
American modern dance and the writings of both case studies and anecdotal information to
Doris Humphrey. She culminates here, perhaps trace the varying ways these roles work as a type
assuming the reader will have knowledge of of dramaturgy mainly in the context of national
postmodern dance and the ways in which that theater spaces.
specific lineage feeds into current conceptions Trencsényi returns to one of the book’s
of dance dramaturgy. However, she picks up driving questions, namely, why does dance
aspects of that lineage as she considers the need a dramaturg? Her answer is that dance
development of collaboration in movement- does not need a dramaturg per se, but benefits
based work in the following chapter. This is from the role and presence of a dramaturg in
seen through the first official role of dance the rehearsal room. She states, “Choreographers
dramaturgy as evidenced in Pina Bausch’s don’t ‘need’ dramaturgs; they don’t lack some-
Tanztheater, the collaborative work of Merce thing they don’t have. Yet the dramaturg’s pres-
Cunningham and John Cage, and the critical ence in the room and their ‘difference’ (from
writing of Jill Johnston alongside the work of the rest of the makers) can offer a dialogue rela-
Judson Dance pioneers. This further demon- tionship that can prove indispensable for the
strates how the work of dramaturgy transpires creative process” (257). For Trenscényi, one
through a variety of contexts and has laid the central component of dramaturgy is that it is
groundwork for current practices. dependent and comprised of relationships
On the other end of the spectrum is (between directors, choreographers, audiences,
Trencsényi’s consideration of the role of institu- and dancers). Trencsényi suggests that drama-
tional dramaturgy. In this context the dramatur- turgy forms and shifts in relationship to how
gical work serves not only the director or artistic spaces and practices develop over time.
playwright at hand but additionally institutional Her frameworks serve those seeking an under-
spaces and repertories. The reader can see how standing of how dramaturgical work occurs
the work of dramaturgy moves across and within as well as those who seek to understand the
varying hierarchies in mainly national theater ways in which dramaturgical labor produces
spaces. Trencsényi’s trajectory of the work of performance works, affects institutions, and
the dramaturg moves not only linearly in informs the landscape of theater presentation
terms of time, but spatially as well. Trencsényi today.
refers to this as micro versus macro dramaturgy.
Particular consideration is given to the role Randi Evans
of Gotthold Ephraim Lessing and Brecht and University of California, Berkeley
the development of German theater. Probably
less familiar to dance audiences, Lessing, in his Works Cited
role as critic-turned-insider, shows the close kin-
ship between criticism and the development of Chicago Dancemakers Forum. 2015. Cultural
Western theater. His attuned eye as a critic assis- Conversations: Dance + Dramaturgy, May
ted the development of not only what was seen on 9. Available at: http://seechicagodance.com/
stage, but of German drama as a whole through event/cultural-conversations-dance-dramaturgy-
the establishment of Hamburg National presented-chicago-dancemakers-forum.
Theater. In a more contemporary context, Manning, Susan. 2015. “On Reggie Wilson and
the variety of roles that comprise present-day Moses(es).” The Drama Review (Special Issue)
theater spaces showcase the macro-dramaturgy 59 (1): 12–60.

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