The role of the Dramaturg
at the National Arts Centre

Company Dramaturg and Associate Artist
Paula Danckert

The term "dramaturg" does not appear in the OED, where a "dramaturgist" is a composer of a drama, and a "dramaturge" is a "dramatic worker".  In Canada, the term "dramaturge" is too easily confused with the French term for "playwright", and so I have borrowed the term "dramaturg" from the German, to describe the functions that I fulfill in the development and promotion of theatre in Canada.

The development and promotion of the performing arts in Canada is central to both the mission and the mandate of the National Arts Centre. Yet Canada is a fiercely regional country where every city or locality considers itself to be the "centre". Most Canadians have an opinion about what "national" means, regardless of whether the subject is argued in English, French or a Native language. Canadians are articulate and factious on the topic of identity, and their diverse viewpoints are expressed in the performing arts throughout the country. This makes for a complex process of decision-making when considering what to develop and what to promote in English Theatre at the National Arts Centre. But these national questions are just some of the concerns that confront the dramaturg at such a bastion of culture as the NAC. At these crossroads lie the duties of dramaturg as worker and as composer of dramatic art.

Dramaturgy involves all aspects of the theatre. It is a study of the wide and various ingredients that define what the theatre is; a kind of astronomical view of all the parts in relation to each other. Regarding a play in development, this study can be applied to a new draft of a script. Together the playwright and the dramaturg might make an inquiry into the workings of the drama, examining how characters relate to each other, what they reveal; when, where, and why. The form a play takes is part of the dramaturgical domain; its design, language and structure. Genre, style and performance are part of this make up. In short: the entire world of a play is its dramaturgy. Identifying the individual parts is dramaturgy at work. Getting a play through to production- to opening night- is the process of dramaturgy, in other words, the realization of the theatrical composition.

At the National Arts Centre, the overall responsibilities of the dramaturg include: commissioning playwrights; working with writers from early inception of a play through to production; running play development programmes; workshopping scripts with actors, designers and composers; researching different editions of texts; editing scripts; choosing material for future seasons; organizing ideas; keeping informed about possible translation projects; travelling to see the work of producing companies and individual artists; staying apprised of what theatre artists are working on across the country; keeping current with writing, performance and design styles internationally; planning the seasons with the Artistic Director; and, perhaps most importantly, reading plays.

Identifying the individual aspects of the job is an essential part of how the overall decisions are made regarding the development and presentation of work in English Theatre at the NAC. Plays are selected, directors are hired, actors are cast, designers are chosen, partnerships are forged. This is the step by step method of making a season. It is guided by a broad scope and the ongoing pursuit of what, why, where and how theatre is  made worldwide. All of these considerations pertain to how we programmme a season. It is the process of bringing together the theatre art and the audience. The outcome is what determines our identity as a national organization. It is a reciprocal responsibility. The job of the dramaturg is to keep in balance a chicken-and-egg relationship between the leadership role of breaking new ground in the theatre, upholding tradition, and responding to the inventiveness and imagination of the extraordinary theatre artists working around the country. In a national institution, the role of the dramaturg is about keeping a close eye on the overall representation of theatre art - both international and national - that forms the artistic and Canadian identity of the NAC.