Dramaturgy and Playwriting
Dramaturgy and playwriting concern the writing and shaping of plays and performances—the craft of dramatic composition and the analytical and developmental work of the dramaturg.
Definition
The study and practice of writing plays and of dramaturgy, the analytical and developmental shaping of dramatic works and performances.
Scope
This area covers the craft of playwriting—plot, character, dialogue, structure, and dramatic action—and the practice of dramaturgy, the analysis, development, and contextualization of scripts and productions. It spans the writing of original plays, the dramaturg's role in the rehearsal room and institution, adaptation and devising as modes of creation, and the foundational craft principles that govern how dramatic action is built and read.
Sub-topics
Core questions
- What craft principles govern the writing of effective drama?
- What does a dramaturg contribute to a production or institution?
- How do adaptation and devising generate new performance material?
- How are plot, character, and dramatic action constructed?
Key theories
- Premise-driven dramatic construction
- Lajos Egri's craft theory that compelling drama grows from a clear premise driving character and conflict, with well-developed, motivated characters generating dramatic action.
- Critical dramaturgy
- The tradition, traced to Lessing's Hamburg Dramaturgy and developed by Turner and Behrndt, of dramaturgy as critical reflection on and shaping of the dramatic work within its theatrical and cultural context.
History
Reflection on dramatic craft runs from Aristotle's Poetics through Renaissance and neoclassical handbooks; the role of the dramaturg was institutionalized in the German theatre, with Lessing's eighteenth-century Hamburg Dramaturgy as a landmark, and the modern era produced craft manuals for playwrights alongside an expanded practice of production and new-writing dramaturgy in contemporary theatre.
Debates
- Rules of craft versus creative freedom
- Writers and theorists debate how far playwriting can be taught through formal principles and structures and how far it depends on inspiration that resists codification.
Key figures
- Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
- Lajos Egri
- Cathy Turner
- David Ball
Related topics
Seminal works
- egri1946
- lessing1962
- turner2008
Frequently asked questions
- What does a dramaturg do?
- A dramaturg researches, analyzes, and shapes dramatic material—advising on a script's structure and context, supporting playwrights and directors, and helping a production clarify its meaning and choices.
- Can playwriting be taught?
- Craft elements such as structure, dialogue, and dramatic action can be studied and practiced, but most teachers treat these as tools that support rather than replace a writer's individual voice and judgment.