Advanced Dramaturgy
Course Description
Summary
The dramaturg serves as a powerful medium in the theatre. They bridge the past and the present, the creative team and the audience, while providing critical generosity and historical and literary insight. Focusing upon the practical application of dramaturgy, this course will offer students a credited platform for dramaturgical work oriented toward production.
Three groups of students are eligible to apply for Advanced Dramaturgy: 1) students who have previously completed the Introduction to Dramaturgy course and will be working on a Drama-supported production or independent project for Spring 2026; 2) students who have previously completed Introduction to Dramaturgy; 3) students who have not taken Introduction to Dramaturgy, but who will be working on a Drama-supported production or independent project for Spring 2026.
For students in these first and third groups, it is not necessary to work in the role of production dramaturg on a show; actors, directors, playwrights, and designers who envision a substantive research and/or analytical component to their production work are also encouraged to apply.
Students will participate in weekly workshop discussions about their dramaturgy projects. Students will also be responsible for assignments, including research exercises and short essays on genre, style, and structure, that contribute to a final research casebook on a play or musical. For students working as dramaturgs on productions, rehearsal hours will be considered in distribution of workload each week. Students will explore dramaturgy as 鈥渢ruly a world of limitless possibilities鈥 (in the words of Michael Mark Chemers) within the context of individualized production processes.
Learning Outcomes
- Students will: 鈥
o Situate diverse forms of dramaturgical practice within a classroom structure that provides both a cohesive advanced study of dramaturgy and customized credited oversight to individual projects.鈥
o Learn to apply theoretical principles and analytical skills of dramaturgy toward practical contexts of production.
o Develop dramaturgical skills, including script analysis and research methods, into advanced levels of focus and depth. 鈥
o Through dramaturgy oriented toward production, sharpen skills in collaboration, research, writing, critical thinking, and creative engagement with theatrical texts. 鈥
Prerequisites
By application. The highest priority admission will be given to students who have already completed the Introduction to Dramaturgy course *and* who will be working on a Drama-supported production or independent project in Spring 2026. Please email mayacantu@bennington.edu with a description of your proposed project by TBD.
Please contact the faculty member : mayacantu@bennington.edu