Dramaturgy Project

Context:
This project is intended to help you explore the dramatic and performative history of a given play. When historical pieces are performed today, the theater company typically hires a Dramaturge to help develop the performative interpretation of the piece. To do this, the dramaturg will research the production history of the play and the historical context of the play's writing. This is your task for this group project.

Assignment:

Imagine that the rest of the class is the theatrical company that has hired you to vet the dramaturgy of this play. After a lot of deliberation, we decided to produce this specific play during the upcoming theatrical season. Your assignment is to uncover the most important facts and details about the play's performance history. When was it written? Under what circumstances? How long did it run? Was it often brought back to the stage? Were specific actors famous for specific roles? If it went dark, did it come back? when? Why? In addition to your performance research, you should also research the most important scholarly (academic) approaches to the play (no more than 5).

After you've researched the performance history and the most significant scholarship, you will arrive at your essential recommendation for the most important interpretation of the play. The best interpretations would probably delve into the difference between our audience and the contemporary audience that witnessed the first performances. Are there some things you might emphasize now? Things that wouldn't play but might with different focus? Where might you set the play? Costumes? No, you do not have to sketch costumes or sets, but feel free to include these images if they will help convey your interpretation.

Grading and Specifics:

You will be graded based on two products: your oral presentation presentation (use powerpoint or the like) and the handout you prepare for us to take away from your presentation. This handout should include correct MLA documentation of sources and be no more than one-page, front-and-back. On the handout, you should include when the play was written, by whom, and give a brief (1-2 paragraph) plot summary (do not download a summary!) The class will be responsible for these plays on the final exam. This project, again, is intended for your to comprehend how performance is inherently an interpretive exercise. Your success will be direct relation to the solid grounding behind your interpretive vision.

Important Note: After other groups' presentations, students are required to participate in the discussion (question/answer session) that immediately follows. Lack of contribution may result in the lowering of your own individual grade on the project.