January 26, 2017

NEW ZEALAND DRAMATURGY: A MAVERICK UNDERTAKING IN 2016 PART II

By Dione Joseph | 23rd Jan 2017 | New Zealand, Dramaturgy | 0 |

This is Part II of the series on dramaturgy in New Zealand. For Part I, click here.

Dramaturgy is a shared process of learning. Here you will find the opinions, questions, challenges and observations of industry practitioners, creatives and performance academics; these are the voices of Aotearoa New Zealand on dramaturgy.

This is our korero. Join us.

In New Zealand, the proverbial playing field isn’t level. In fact, it’s a pretty steep slope for some of our teammates and the game certainly doesn’t get any easier. From being cast as a nameless terrorist to working closely on developing his own craft as a playwright and dramaturge, Ahi Karunaharan has experienced all sorts of criticism, and after almost two decades he isn’t shy of receiving unadulterated feedback. “The dramaturge becomes your best friend but is also your most dreaded critic,” he says. “That tension is a good one to have because it’s better to have harsh feedback given to you during the rehearsal than plastered all over a review.” [More]