Student Blog: My Experience in a Graduate Dramaturgy Class

This quarter, I enrolled in a graduate dramaturgy course at my university -- UC San Diego. Being the only undergraduate student in the class was definitely intimidating at first, but I've also grown and become more comfortable with myself as a student and dramaturg in ten short weeks. In a class filled with UC Irvine Ph.D. students, UC San Diego Ph.D. students, and MFA stage managers, there are many perspectives and levels of exposure to dramaturgy in the class that provide insight and diversity.

Because the role of a dramaturg is very open-ended and can have multiple aspects to it, a lot of our class encourages us to just think out loud and discuss together in order to decipher who we are as individual dramaturgs and how we function in a rehearsal room/on a team. Every person in the class comes from a different background and has a unique "toolbox" that they can use as a dramaturg. For example, I personally have learned to embrace my background as a dancer and my passion for history into how I function as a dramaturg.

Not only that, but we also have a major focus on how we as dramaturgs can help create a diverse, inclusive and safe rehearsal space. From learning more about Native American rituals and theatre to learning about queer storytelling, we have expanded our horizons to encompass all human experiences into our theatrical works. A dramaturg has to consider all aspects of the work and be as thorough as possible when making suggestions to the cast or creative team. Learning about these unique perspectives helps dramaturgs be more aware and inclusive in their practice which is something I am always trying to increase.

Our theatre scene is everchanging and now there are more I know one of my main goals coming out of this class is to gain more knowledge about intimacy direction since there is an increase of material that portrays serious and delicate situations such as sexual assault. This is just one example of a type of work an intimacy director might be involved in. In general, there's been an increase in hyper-sensitive work in a theatrical space that involves a lot of physical contact which is why intimacy directors are becoming more necessary than ever. Because of this class, I've discovered a passion for intimacy direction and I see its inherent value which makes me want to learn as much as I can about how to approach these delicate situations in a respectful, purposeful and safe way.

Overall this class has allowed me to gain a sense of what classes I would take if I were to get a Ph.D. in theatre which I very much want to pursue. It also has helped me gain more perspective on how much responsibility a dramaturg has, but also how much room there is for interpretation when it comes to their role in the room. Moving forward, I want to take more classes in psychology and philosophy to complement my history courses. This is because in theatre, the focus is on the human experience and by expanding my knowledge of life as a whole, I can better create work that's grounded in truth.

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