Dramaturgy as an act of civil disobedience: a panel discussion with Myah Jeffers, Anthony Simpson-Pike, and Anna Himali Howard
When:
—
Venue:
Birkbeck 43 Gordon Square
"I remember once hearing a young male student describe the structure of his play. He said, "Well, first it starts out, then it speeds up, and it's going and it's going, and then bam, it's over." And I thought, ‘Do we think the arc is a natural structure because of the structure of the male orgasm?"
From Sarah Ruhl’s ‘100 Essays I Don’t Have Time to Write’
How might the queering of dramaturgical practice serve to challenge common cultural assumptions about how we tell our stories? Who in our contemporary context has the opportunity to share their stories onstage and why? To what extent can dramaturgy as a discipline help us confront outdated concepts about the role theatre and performance play in our perceptions of ourselves? These are among the questions at the centre of our upcoming panel discussion ‘Dramaturgy as an act of civil disobedience’, hosted by Birkbeck’s Centre for Contemporary Theatre (BCCT).
Dramaturgy in the twenty-first century is a discipline that can take a myriad of forms. From script consultancy to audience engagement, dramaturgs help grow and support the work of contemporary theatre-makers from conception to production. In celebration of Birkbeck's new MA Dramaturgy now recruiting for October 2020, this event investigates the disruptive potential of dramaturgical practice in contemporary culture. It features presentations from three of London’s leading dramaturgs and theatre-makers followed by a Q&A moderated by Dr Molly Flynn, programme director of Birkbeck's new MA Dramaturgy.
Together, the presentations and discussion will consider pathways between theory, practice, and civic engagement in contemporary UK theatre and explore the role of the dramaturg in the twenty-first-century theatre. The event seeks to reflect the ethos of Birkbeck’s new MA Dramaturgy programme as a space for the exploration of alternative approaches to performance analysis, in particular, those focused on process, polyphony, and political engagement, rather than heteronormative notions of narrative structure as so eloquently depicted in the epigraph above.
The event also provides the perfect opportunity to find out more about the structure of the new MA Dramaturgy at Birkbeck, and offers those interested in entering the field of theatre-making the chance to speak to academic staff and find out more about the course.
Attendance is free but booking is essential.
Contact name:
Molly Flynn