March 28, 2019

What is a dramaturg?

Question

What is a dramaturg?

Answer

Certainly in opera, the dramaturg position varies a bit from company to company, but a dramatic is invariably a writer, often writing and/or editing for house programs and other company publications; a speaker on the repertoire; a moderator for interviews and panel discussions; often a writer of surtitles for the company's productions; a researcher; and invariably a kind of clearing-house of information on particular operas that can be utilized by production teams. Some companies use their dramaturg to help develop new works as a collaborator with composers and librettists.

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Photo: Todd Rosenberg