Foundational Dramaturgy Texts

Published 2010. Created as a textbook, The Process of Dramaturgy walks the reader through the pre-production, rehearsal, and production phases of the practice of dramaturgy. Helpful show-specific case studies illustrate practical application, and appendices include a sample syllabus.

Published in 2008 and awarded the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) Outstanding Book award in 2009, Toward a Dramaturgical Sensibility is truly foundational to the field. Proehl contemplates how dramaturgs approach thinking and knowledge production, reminding us that knowledge is always incomplete and subjective, yet driven by a commitment to inquiry.

Published 2015. A substantial collection of essays and articles on a wide variety of topics related and adjacent to the field of dramaturgy, Including dramaturgy for translation, adaptation, new play development, new media, international and interdisciplinary works.

Michael Mark Chemers' Ghost Light offers an accessible introduction to what dramaturgy is and how it functions in production. It is ideally suited to undergraduates new to discipline. The chapter on Script Analysis presents a particularly useful methodical approach to dramatic analysis that pairs nicely with the slightly more abstracted approach of Elinor Fuchs.

Published 2017. Lang advocates for understanding a dramaturgical mindset through the use of “to dramaturg” as an active verb. The book begins with a theoretical approach and concludes with practical applications. Collating years of discussion and thinking about dramaturgy, Lang uses a conversational tone to offer sound advice for engaging in the production process.

Published 2017. In Adapturgy: The Dramaturg's Art and Theatrical Adaptation, Jane Barnette employs her own term -- "adapturgy" -- to examine the dramaturg's role in the theatrical process, in both new play development and in the production process, as well as the art of adaptation as its own valid mode of creative expression.

Published 1997. Perhaps the first textbook for American dramaturgs, this collection of essays includes information on the historical foundations of dramaturgy, interviews with dramaturgs, and advice from professionals.

Originally published In 2004 in the journal Theatre, this article has been widely disseminated and used by institutional and freelance dramaturgs alike. It describes an Invaluable approach to understanding the world of the play.

At the beginning of the pandemic, LMDA asked its community to craft essays that imagined a radical dramaturgy that would potentially reshape theatre upon its reopening. As the pandemic lingered, turning weeks into months into years, Dramaturging the Phoenix has evolved to include wider dramaturgical responses and bi-weekly Zoom forums that both look back on all that we have endured and dream ahead to how theatre might transform. Please note that the essays and Zoom recordings are behind the LMDA paywall.