DRAMATURGY CROSSING-OVER ART, EDUCATION & ORGANIZATION

A Personal Manifest

As a practicing performance dramaturge I work together with choreographers for over 10 years now. But my practice developed hugely through the past years. I am being challenged more and more to adapt my perspective on specific areas of the work process in organizations aside from analyzing individual performances of people. Dramaturgy also exists outside the arts for several years, as the short film below illustrates by the social theory of Erving Goffman. They introduce dramaturgy seen from a social point of view and built theory. 

Over the past years I became more aware of my expertise to dissect a situation easily and connect concrete actions in a more abstract landscape of understanding. By the increasing propositions I have widen my dramaturgic practice on the level of art, education and organization. This started unintentionally by acknowledging my specific and critical view as a performance dramaturge on complex organizational problems and human behavior within an existing work context. Below a short and rather personal plea for dramaturgy in contemporary society and social business design:

• The practice of a dramaturge stays mostly behind curtains and studio walls. The dialogical practice as I described above becomes visible by inspiring theoretic publications by peers and theorists and by interviews related to performances with artists that collaborated with dramaturges. These insights are shared within the artistic domain in a valuable way and connected to complex social issues, but I prefer a dialogue that includes more people into the dialogue. A dialogue becomes richer the moment more voices are invited. This is illustrated by upcoming initiatives in the art field to engage their work in different ways. I really want to contribute to the movement of artistic fertilization of society and exploring the unknown territory of new connections and engagement.

• Although dramaturgy is a hard term to define and an unknown career title for many of us, in my experience dramaturgy can be easily transferred to other fields of work. Ways of adapting or adjusting knowledge in a practical work context is actually part of dramaturge’s expertise. A dramaturge is trained to always adjust their knowledge to work methods and expressions by artists in order to optimize their artistic practice. A dramaturge is also trained to connect theory & practice into situational and problem-based project circumstances: I am trained to think in this synthetic duality, to combine form with content, actions with thoughts  and creating with learning for example. In my opinion dramaturgy as an isolated, labeled expertise is a waste when it is limited and depending on other artists to define the role of knowledge only.

• In a fast changing world, where there is an urgent need to fight for human ideals and different perspectives on the value of life I find it hugely important to invest in the translation of social identities with my practice. Businesses are generally understood in terms of making profit in order to grow, but I would like to bring back the essential goal of organizations to contribute to society where money is a source of energy to realize that, and not the other way around. Dramaturgy can help staying true to your own ideas, ideals and connection to society in more sustainable matters by focusing on content.