The Shakespearean Dramaturg - by A Hartley

About the Book

An in-depth look at the role of the dramaturg in producing Shakespearean plays.

Book Synopsis

This book marries a theoretical analysis of the issues underlying the role of the dramaturg with a thorough sense of the material conditions of theatrical production, from script editing and rehearsal room interactions to the preparation of programme notes and audience lectures. Central to the project is a notion of authority defined not by text or author, but by the theatre itself. The result is a guide for the prospective dramaturg which also provides for the more general reader a unique case study of the nexus between the methods and assumptions of literary criticism and those of practical theatre.

Review Quotes

"In The Shakespearean Dramaturg, Andrew Hartley brings an experienced eye to the work of the scholar in the theatre. This comprehensive book, rich in specific examples, traces the dramaturg's effort to bring the rich variety of contemporary scholarship to the rough and ready work of the stage. Taking a pragmatic view, Hartley shows prospective dramaturgs how to avoid becoming the 'Shakespeare police, ' focusing instead on the 'winnable battles' that make the dramaturg an invaluable intellectual presence in the process of theatre production. This book will be crucial reading for any professional scholar or doctoral candidate who has the chance to work on Shakespeare in the theatre." - W. B. Worthen, University of California, Berkeley

"As an experienced Shakespearean dramaturg, Andrew Hartley is bi-lingual: he is fluent in the language of Shakespeare scholarship, and he speaks the patois of the rehearsal room without an accent. The Shakespearean Dramaturg is an indispensable baedeker for travelers crossing the border from one realm to the other. Directors, actors, and designers can discover what there is to be learned from the dramaturgs who work with them. And Shakespeare scholars, both amateur and professional, can learn to respect the work that theatre professionals do to make lively theatrical art out of Shakespeare's scripts, and can then bring what they know to the process of theatre-making with both modesty and forthrightness. No theatre, and no theatre scholar, can afford to be without it." - Cary M. Mazer, University of Pennsylvania.

About the Author

Andrew James Hartley is the Robinson Professor of Shakespeare Studies at the University of North Carolina, USA. He is author of The Shakespeare Dramaturg and Julius Caesar, was the editor of the performance journal Shakespeare Bulletin from 2003-13, and is an Associate Artist at Georgia Shakespeare.