January 19, 2017

NEW ZEALAND DRAMATURGY: A MAVERICK UNDERTAKING IN 2016, PART I 

By Dione Joseph 
Posted on The Theatre Times website

Playwright and dramaturge Gary Henderson points out that classic rugby analogies, although clichéd, work well because they’re specific to our culture, our country, and our people. Dramaturgy, he argues, is no different: 

“If you’re a rugby player you cannot break the rules, but what you can do is subvert the expected conventions,” he explains. “A brilliant rugby player is the one who will side-step when everyone is expecting them to pass, or will tackle when fans least expect it. This is still part of the language of the game but there is an active subversion of the expectation – this is why Foreskin’s Lament is brilliant.” 

Conventionally, a dramaturg is a theatre specialist responsible for providing critical support and feedback to the playwright and occasionally to the director. [More]