Dramaturgy is the art of dramatic composition and the representation of the main elements of drama on the stage. Some dramatists combine writing and dramaturgy when creating a drama. Others work with a specialist, called a dramaturge, to adapt a work to the stage. This does not cite its references or sources. ... A dramatist is an author of dramatic compositions, usually plays. ... 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. ...

Dramaturgy can also be defined, more broadly, as shaping a story or like elements into a form that can be acted. Dramaturgy gives the work or the performance a structure. More than actual writing, a dramaturge's work can often be defined as designing.

History of dramaturgy

Greek Philosopher Aristotle

In western canon the seminal work is Poetics by Aristotle (written around 350 BC). In this work Aristotle observes tragedy and comedy. He draws his conclusions by observing the Greek writers of his own time. Tragedy is his main concern, and he considers Oedipus Rex as the quintessential dramatic work. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (600x800, 231 KB) Suject : Portrait of Aristoteles ; Origin : Imperial Roman copy (1st or 2nd century) of a lost bronze sculpture made by Lysippos ; Material : Marble of the Penteli, region of Athens ; Location : Louvre museum, Paris, France, #MA 80 bis ; Author : Eric... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (600x800, 231 KB) Suject : Portrait of Aristoteles ; Origin : Imperial Roman copy (1st or 2nd century) of a lost bronze sculpture made by Lysippos ; Material : Marble of the Penteli, region of Athens ; Location : Louvre museum, Paris, France, #MA 80 bis ; Author : Eric... Aristotles Poetics aims to give an account of poetry. ... Aristotle (Greek: AristotélÄ“s) (384 BC – March 7, 322 BC) was a Greek philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. ... Oedipus the King (also known as Oedipus Rex and Oedipus Tyrannos) is a Greek tragedy, written by Sophocles around 427 BC. The play was the second of Sophocles three Theban plays to be produced, but its events occur before those of Oedipus at Colonus or Antigone. ...

Aristotle regards drama as a subsection of poetry, but he does analyze also the relations between character and action, speech, plot and the story. He gives examples of good plots and examines the reactions the plays awake in the audience. Many of his "rules" are often associated with "aristotelian drama", where deus ex machina is a weakness and where the action is structured economically. Many key concepts of drama, such as anagnorisis and katharsis, are discussed in Poetica. Lately Aristotle has been applied in numerous tv- and filmwriting guides, and the courses of "basic dramaturgy" usually rely heavily on Aristotle's thoughts. Deus ex machina is a Latin phrase that is used to describe an unexpected, artificial, or improbable character, device, or event introduced suddenly in a work of fiction or drama to resolve a situation or untangle a plot (e. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Latin word catharsis, from the Greek Katharsis, has several related meanings: 1. ...

In modern times, latter drama, especially absurdism and several avant-garde movements, have tried to break away from the aristotelian perspective. Aristotle's teachings have often been oversimplified, but it is fair to say that Poetica is the first western work on drama theory. It is also one of the few "academic" works that many artist find still useful. Many directors and writers have since written about their own dramaturgical thinking, Grotowski and David Mamet among others, but Aristotle observes drama wholly from a scientist's viewpoint. Jerzy Grotowski (August 11, 1933 - January 14, 1999) was a Polish theater director and a leading figure of theatrical avant garde of the 20th century. ... David Alan Mamet (born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, screenwriter, director, poet, essayist and novelist. ...

See also symbolic interactionism, dramaturgical perspective. Symbolic interactionism is a sociological perspective which examines how individuals and groups interact, focusing on the creation of personal identity through interaction with others. ... The dramaturgical perspective is a model for human behavior that studies how humans establish meaning to their lives. ...

Copyright

Since dramaturgy is not defined in a general way and the function of a dramaturge can change from production to production, the U.S. copyright issues have very vague borders. The debate that is currently going on is based on the question of the extent to which a dramaturge owns a production. A good example is the case Larsen and Thompson. Thompson, Jonathan Larson's dramaturge on the musical Rent, claims she was a co-author of the work and that she never assigned, licensed or otherwise transferred her rights. She asks that the court declare her a co-author of Rent and grant her 16% of the author's share of the royalties. Although she made her claim only after the show became a big hit, the case is not without precedent: 15% of the royalties of Angels in America go to the author's dramaturge. Jonathan Larson (February 4, 1960 – January 25, 1996) was an American composer who lived in New York City and authored musicals, including Rent and Tick, Tick. ... Rent is an American Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical, with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson. ... Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes is a play in two parts by American playwright Tony Kushner. ...

External links

• A Brief History of Hollywood Dramaturgy and Modern Screenplay Structure
• Dramaturgy Northwest
• Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas
• Dramaturgs'network, dramaturgy in the UK