Virginia (She/her)

As a newly college graduate dramaturg, how do I keep up the rigor of the academic research, scholarly conversations, and dramaturgical relationships I had with other theatre artists in the microcosm of my university? I want to continue working on my craft, but there is only so much one can do by themselves when it feels like the most valuable work comes from collaborating on projects, communicating with playwrights, etc. 

Dear Virginia,

Congratulations! We love a recently graduate dramaturg, flush with the experiences afforded by undergrad, one that sounds like it was incredibly fulfilling for you. I hear you on how dull the idea of working solo on your craft might be, when collaborating with others feels exciting and generative. However, homework is important and maybe this is about reorienting what is valuable or possible for you when it’s just you, and what systems you might set up to bring collaborative thinking to solo practice. Organize your archive of past dramaturgical projects. Do a postmortem to help you assess yourself and your practice, what skills or knowledges are you seeking? Think of this as having your own set of Production Notebooks, like the ones edited by Mark Bly. What do you want to learn more about? What do you need? In school, you’re used to your professor assigning you reading and giving you prompts for your writing assignments and then doing those things. Now, you’ve got to do both: be the student and the teacher. Create reading lists, do your own writing prompts. As an alum, you likely have access to the digital collections of your library so enjoy your access to Project Muse and JSTOR, keep up with the latest theatre journals (Theatre Survey or TDR or Women & Performance or Theatre Topics). Set up a reading group or book club in case there are like-minded individuals who want to grow dramaturgically with you. Be on the lookout for talks either in your neighborhood (local bookstore or nearby college) or on Zoom. Wingspace, the theatrical design collective, has a long-running salon series with in-person and virtual events. You can also work on developing new dramaturgical relationships. I wrote to Ally Vari about informational interviews, perhaps there are more seasoned dramaturgs you’d like to chat up. Remember, you might be honing your skills but it’s Fefu and her friends, not Fefu out there against the world (like Antigone). 

Yes, Virginia, there is solo praxis for dramaturgs, 

Fefu

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