A Theory of Dramaturgy is the first text of its kind to define concepts and combine arguments into a coherent dramaturgical theory supported by an operative systems theory. This is a wide-ranging theory with historical and contemporary perspectives on dramaturgy, rather than simply a how-to book. Dramaturgy began in ancient Greece, born from experimentation with democracy and commentary in the theatre on the human condition. The term itself has seen constant evolution, but thanks to its introduction into common English usage within the last three decades, it has gained new importance. Dramaturgy draws focus to the communication of communication, and in theatre it examines how moving bodies, voice, sound, and light can tell a story and affect values. Beyond the theatre, in daily life, dramaturgy becomes a question of "performativity", as we constantly have to act in relation to the roles that we occupy. It is because of this that the way in which society describes itself to itself is not just a matter for scientists and theorists, but for all of those who are met on a daily basis with devised, staged, and directed versions of important values and events in our contemporary lives. Ideal for both scholars and students, A Theory of Dramaturgy explains how to approach the values, strategies, and theories that are essential to understanding arts and media, and investigates what art should do in the current world.

A notable contribution to our understanding of ourselves. This book explores the realm of human behavior in social situations and the way that we appear to others. Dr. Goffman uses the metaphor of theatrical performance as a framework. Each person in everyday social intercourse presents himself and his activity to others, attempts to guide and cotnrol the impressions they form of him, and employs certain techniques in order to sustain his performance, just as an actor presents a character to an audience. The discussions of these social techniques offered here are based upon detailed research and observation of social customs in many regions.

This groundbreaking book moves beyond the conventional association of dramaturgy with plays to consider the substance and process of dramaturgy for dance and movement performance. Focusing on text and language, research, audience, movement, and interculturalism, the author provides vivid, practical examples from her collaboration with renowned choreographer Ralph Lemon.

In Principles of Dramaturgy, Robert Scanlan explains the invariant principles behind the construction of stage and performance events of any style or modality. This book contains all that is essential for training a professional stage director and/or dramaturg, including the "plot-bead" technique for analyzing play scripts developed by Scanlan. It details all the steps for the full implementation of "Production Dramaturgy" as it is practiced in professional theatres, and treats form and action as foundational cornerstones of all performance, rather than "story" elements – a frequent and debilitating misprision in theatre practice. Scanlan’s unique approach offers practical training that is supported by detailed diagrams and contextualized instructions, making this the missing text for classes in dramaturgy. Serving stage directors, dramaturgs, actors, designers, and playwrights, Principles of Dramaturgy is a comprehensive guide that puts the training of capable practitioners above all else.

Recent shifts in the theatrical landscape have had corresponding implications for dramaturgy. The way we think about theatre and performance today has changed our approaches to theatre making and composition. Emerging new aesthetics and new areas of dramaturgical work such as live art, devised and physical theatre, experimental performance, and dance demand new approaches and sensibilities. New Dramaturgy: International Perspectives on Theory and Practice is the first book to explore new dramaturgy in depth, and considers how our thinking about dramaturgy and the role of the dramaturg has been transformed. Edited by Katalin Trencsényi and Bernadette Cochrane, New Dramaturgy: International Perspectives on Theory and Practice provides an unrivalled resource for practitioners, scholars, and students.

The Dramaturgy of the Door examines the door as a critical but under-explored feature of theatre and performance, asking how doors function on stage, in site-specific practice and in performances of place. This first book-length study on the topic argues that doors engage in and help to shape broad phenomena of performance across key areas of critical enquiry in the field. Doors open up questions of theatrical space(s) and artistic encounters with place(s), design and architecture, bodies and movement, interior versus exterior, im/materiality, the relationship between the real and the imaginary, and processes of transformation. As doors separate places and practices, they also invite us to see connections and contradictions between each one and to consider the ways in which doors frame the world beyond the stage and between places of performance. With a wide-ranging set of examples – from Shakespeare’s Macbeth to performance installations in the Mojave Desert – The Dramaturgy of the Door is aimed at performance makers and artists as well as advanced students and scholars in the fields of performance studies, cultural theory, and visual arts.

The image of the dramaturg resembling a stuffy librarian, as opposed to the largely intuitive process of theatre making, belongs to the past. Contemporary theatre performances not only tell a story, but constantly reflect on the world in which that story takes place and is shown. As a result, dramaturgy has become part of the artistic process. Thus everybody involved in a theatre production is concerned with dramaturgical thinking, i.e. how to relate to material, process, audience and society. The dramaturg crosses borders between theory and practice, between theatre makers, performance and audience. 'Dramaturgy. An Introduction' provides a broad overview of the concept of dramaturgy and the profession of the dramaturg. It is intended for students and teachers of theatre and performance studies, but also for directors, scenographers, actors and for all lovers of theatre.