Hello everyone! A little about me:
Hi! I'm Theresa and I am the production dramaturg for Sunday in the Park! I am a junior art history major/theatre minor and this is my first time working as a dramaturg on a full-blown production (thank you in advance for your grace as I learn and try new things)! I am driven by care, enthusiasm, and, more than anything, curiosity. I am a big fan of the people I work with and art in all forms. I am thrilled to be collaborating with you all in this manner.
*Quick but all too important note about my role: I will be spending this fall semester in London. This means I will be in person through the end of August and then completely asynchronous due to location and time difference. Please do not let this keep you from asking questions or reaching out! I will do my best to answer in a timely fashion and am grateful for your patience!*
About dramaturgy:
If you aren't sure what a dramaturg is or what their purpose is, you are not alone! The role of the dramaturg is very fluid and can change depending on what the production needs. The dramaturgy (as a noun) is the dramatic structure, language, theme, music, and characters of a play, and how those elements work together to make meaning. According to Beehive Dramaturgy Studio, a dramaturg is someone "on the creative team whose primary task is to support the play's development by asking key questions, starting conversations, researching, providing context, and helping the artists as they work together to tell the intended story."
Think of me as the mediator between the play, the team, and the audience. I am a resource for asking and facilitating questions and conversations about our show; this can be through research, historical context, questions, a removed point of view, a helper for the director/artistic team, and more depending on the needs of the production. Exploring the dramaturgy of a musical is a collaborative effort that every person on the team is participating in.
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If you'd like some examples, check here for the full Beehive article or here for an article from Dramatics Magazine.
About engaging with this site:
This site is packed full with materials, context, fun facts, resources, and activities (be sure to click the tabs at the top, including the "more" tab, to see all of the pages). Everything underlined is a link and when clicked, will direct you to another website or resource or page of this site. To get the most out of the dramaturgy of this musical, I would encourage you to engage with as many of these as you can/as make sense for you!
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The best way to engage with the activities on this site is to keep a journal of some kind. This can be pen to paper, but it can also be electronic if that works better for you. Whatever way you decided to make your notes, they need to be easily accessible for rehearsals as these are conversations starters for when we are all together! Write, draw/doodle, annotate, etc. but be ready to add on, share your findings, and continue using your thoughts/resources.
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Please ask questions and engage with this musical and painting beyond the resources I have here! I have linked a FORUM page on this site with a space to ask questions that you think may benefit the whole company. Please also use this space to share other materials you find in your work!