Dramaturg is a position in the theater which gained its modern-day function through the innovations of Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, a playwright and theater practitioner who worked in Germany in the 18th century.
The dramaturg's contribution was to categorize and discuss the various types and kinds of plays, their interconnectedness and their styles. Enhanced by a tradition of generous support for theater as part of German cultural identity, which gave nearly every city a fully staffed theater supported by public funds, the position of dramaturg includes the hiring of actors and the development of a season of plays with a sense of the connectedness between them, the assistance and editing of new plays by resident or guest playwrights, the creation of programs or accompanying educational services and even helping the director with rehearsals, serving as elucidator of history or spokesperson for absent (deceased) playwrights.
In Britain dramaturgs function similarly although they are more often, themselves, also playwrights. In the USA, where this position was until recently relatively unknown, it has enjoyed a recent growth particularly in cutting edge theaters with an emphasis on developing new plays within the theater.
'Dramaturg' is commonly used today to refer to the literary adviser of a theatre, who takes part in the rehearsal process and who guards the integrity of the play.
What helps most in allaying this source of irritation is the dramaturg's creation of the feeling in the company, as early as possible in the rehearsal process, that he is part of the same team and anxious for the same, good result.
However discussion between the two occurs, whether regularly and formally or only occasionally and informally, the dramaturg suggests his opinion to the director but does not force it on him, and understands that the final decision on all matters raised in discussion is necessarily the director's.
The professional dramaturg is a creature of the not-for-profit resident theater; producers who are in business to make money have by and large not seen the wisdom of hiring someone who neither writes the play, nor directs it, nor designs it, nor acts in it, nor stage-manages it, nor works as a technician on it.
Dramaturgs are hired by not-for-profit theaters run by artistic directors who each want an artistic staff that will work to support, not contradict, the type of theater the artistic director wishes to pursue.
But dramaturgs also say that they are "an advocate for the playwright," and that their job is to stand up for the integrity of the script.
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