The Playwright–Dramaturg Sharing & Social returns in 2026 as a year-long series of gatherings dedicated to script sharing, collective reflection, and connection between playwrights and dramaturgs.Across three evenings, each session invites you into a Community Script Circle, an open and supportive space where works-in-progress are read aloud and explored through dialogue. The focus is on process, creating room for questions, instincts, and unexpected discoveries to emerge through conversation.At ea
Being part of a new play development process is thrilling and challenging work. While a playwright brings the core vision, it requires a distinct skillset from the surrounding creative team to help that vision mature without overtaking it.This three-part workshop is designed for dramaturgs, directors, and producers who want to create collaborative rooms and processes that centre the developmental needs of the playwright and their play. The series is led by Amber Bradshaw, Managing Artistic Director of the n
Engage-a-Dramaturg is an initiative matching playwrights and dramaturgs for a 4-month collaboration. This programme aims to:Bring together and build relationships between playwrights and dramaturgs who may not have had opportunities to work together before Encourage extended script development conversations between playwrights and dramaturgs Provide space for developing the playwright’s vision outside of the imperatives of a production or a commissionInstigate conversation around the value of the
The Dramaturg-in-Residence programme invites up to 3 dramaturgs to participate in the life of the Centre over a period of 12 months. The programme aims to develop capabilities in the current community of text dramaturgs and build visibility for a pool of dramaturgs who are well-equipped to work on new plays.During the residency, the Dramaturgs-in-Residence will gather regularly to share about their practice and engage in dramaturgical discourse. Through these exchanges and their involvement in Centre 42’s a
Engage-a-Dramaturg is an initiative matching playwrights and dramaturgs for a 4-month collaboration. This programme aims to:Bring together and build relationships between playwrights and dramaturgs who may not have had opportunities to work together before Encourage extended script development conversations between playwrights and dramaturgs Provide space for developing the playwright’s vision outside of the imperatives of a production or a commissionInstigate conversation around the value of the
Being part of a new play development process is thrilling and challenging work. While a playwright brings the core vision, it requires a distinct skillset from the surrounding creative team to help that vision mature without overtaking it.This three-part workshop is designed for dramaturgs, directors, and producers who want to create collaborative rooms and processes that centre the developmental needs of the playwright and their play. The series is led by Amber Bradshaw, Managing Artistic Director of the n
Engage-a-Dramaturg is a new initiative matching playwrights and dramaturgs for a 4-month collaboration. This programme aims to:Bring together and build relationships between playwrights and dramaturgs who may not have had opportunities to work together before Encourage extended script development conversations between playwrights and dramaturgs Provide space for developing the playwright’s vision outside of the imperatives of a production or a commissionInstigate conversation around the value of t
Text Support is a series of workshops offering different perspectives and tools that dramaturgs might bring to their work with playwrights developing new plays. This series features international guest dramaturgs Lynde Rosario (past president of the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas), Steve Harper (Literary Manager, Theatre 503, UK), Brian Quirt (Artistic Director, Nightswimming, Canada), and Annie Jin Wang (Assoc. Director for Artistic Programming, PlayCo, US).
An Introduction to the Dramaturg’s Work is a 4-session foundational course that will provide an introduction and grounding for performing arts practitioners who are curious about or want insight into the work that dramaturgs do.Conducted fully online by Centre 42’s Consultant Dramaturg Juliet Chia, this course aims to equip participants with an understanding of and familiarisation with:the brief history and evolution of the role of the dramaturgthe nature and scope of a dramaturg’s work different kinds
Through practical and physical exercises we will explore how dramaturgy/the dramaturg can contribute to the creative process as witness, dialogue partner and ‘editor’. We will discuss some of the underlying principles of the creative process and offer concrete tools and methodologies to organise the dramaturgical dialogue.The final goal of the workshop is to gain a different, renewed perspective of one’s own creative and compositional process and methodologies.This masterclass is suitable for performing art
The Playwright–Dramaturg Sharing & Social returns in 2026 as a year-long series of gatherings dedicated to script sharing, collective reflection, and connection between playwrights and dramaturgs.Across three evenings, each session invites you into a Community Script Circle, an open and supportive space where works-in-progress are read aloud and explored through dialogue. The focus is on process, creating room for questions, instincts, and unexpected discoveries to emerge through conversation.At ea
What unfolds when playwrights bring their scripts into a room full of curious and creative theatre-makers? How can fresh perspectives from fellow writers and dramaturgs help a script grow? We’re excited to bring you the second edition of our Playwright–Dramaturg Sharing & Social, a cosy, no-pressure evening focused on sharing work, exchanging thoughts, and seeing where the conversation takes us.This time, we’re centring the session around a Community Script Circle, where two works-in-progress by pl
How exactly do dramaturgs work with playwrights? What goes into making this dynamic work, and how does this often unseen creative exchange help to shape a play? As part of Centre 42's ongoing explorations of these questions, we are hosting a series of chill and intimate socials, each anchored by a casual chat between a dramaturg-playwright pair who'll give some insight into their collaboration. In this edition, playwright Jean Tay and dramaturg Hemang Yadav discuss their work together on The Shape of a
DRAMATURGS & is a capsule series of roundtable conversations centering the work of and relationship between dramaturgs and their artistic collaborators. Dramaturgical thinking and application is integral in the work of all artists, yet a dramaturg’s role affords a dedicated lens that can expand and challenge artistic decisions. In cosy and candid sessions, we aim to unpack the relational, intricate and often invisible work of dramaturgs in creative processes and within artistic teams. The fourth in
Three emerging dramaturgs step into the spotlight to share their learnings from the Dramaturgs in Practice Training Programme 2024. Over the course of 2 practice attachments, dramaturgs-in-training Shona Benson, Shridar Mani and Sonia Kwek have navigated dramaturgical conversations with different kinds of artists, across different genres and at different phases of the creative process. Along the way, they have put both old and new ideas to the test and re-defined what being a dramaturg means to them.&n
DRAMATURGS & is a capsule series of roundtable conversations centering the work of and relationship between dramaturgs and their artistic collaborators. Dramaturgical thinking and application is integral in the work of all artists, yet a dramaturg’s role affords a dedicated lens that can expand and challenge artistic decisions. In cosy and candid sessions, we aim to unpack the relational, intricate and often invisible work of dramaturgs in creative processes and within artistic teams. The third of
The Dramaturg-in-Residence programme invites up to 3 dramaturgs to participate in the life of the Centre over a period of 12 months. The programme aims to develop capabilities in the current community of text dramaturgs and build visibility for a pool of dramaturgs who are well-equipped to work on new plays.During the residency, the Dramaturgs-in-Residence will gather regularly to share about their practice and engage in dramaturgical discourse. Through these exchanges and their involvement in Centre 42’s a
The Dramaturg-in-Residence is a new pilot programme launched in 2025 that invites 3 dramaturgs to participate in the life of the Centre over a period of 12 months. The programme intends to develop capabilities in the current community of text dramaturgs and build visibility for a pool of dramaturgs who are well-equipped to work on new plays. The focus of this residency for 2025 - 2026 will be on text dramaturgy. During this term, the Dramaturgs In Residence will gather on a monthly basis to share about
The 2015 pilot cycle of the Dramaturgy Apprenticeship Programme spans 12 months, from April 2015 to March 2016, and follows a three-phased framework: Theory Discursive, Project Work and Industry Attachment.
The apprentices work together with the Master Dramaturg, Dr Robin Loon, throughout the phases to provide and review self-assessment reports.
Phase 1: Theory Discursive (April – June)
This phase focuses on developing a strong theoretical foundation and understanding of the field of dr
DRAMATURGS & is a capsule series of roundtable conversations centering the work of and relationship between dramaturgs and their artistic collaborators. Dramaturgical thinking and application is integral in the work of all artists, yet a dramaturg’s role affords a dedicated lens that can expand and challenge artistic decisions. In cosy and candid sessions, we aim to unpack the relational, intricate and often invisible work of dramaturgs in creative processes and within artistic teams. On 21 April 2
DRAMATURGS & is a capsule series of roundtable conversations centering the work of and relationship between dramaturgs and their artistic collaborators. Dramaturgical thinking and application is integral in the work of all artists, yet a dramaturg’s role affords a dedicated lens that can expand and challenge artistic decisions. In cosy and candid sessions, we aim to unpack the relational, intricate and often invisible work of dramaturgs in creative processes and within artistic teams. On 18 Decembe
On 26 May, the invited speakers of the Asian Dramaturgs’ Network (ADN) Conference 2019 gathered back in the Festival House Blue Room to share highlights, insights and critiques from two days of presentations and intense discussions. Titled “Dramaturgy and the Human Condition”, this year’s conference saw a diverse group of dramaturgs, artists and scholars from the region discussing about issues of change, choice and humanity in performance-making in keynotes, panels and roundtables. Drawing from their discus
“Is ‘dramaturgy’ the new word that we’re all using, all the time? And in 25 years will I wear a perfume called Dramaturgy?” joked ArtsEquator’s Kathy Rowland at the Asian Dramaturg’s Network (ADN) Satellite Symposium in Adelaide in 2017. Her comment emerged in an open discussion about the way ADN had been handling the term. Having documented all of ADN’s activities in the past three years, I’ve noticed it’s been a recurring concern. And it’s important to ask ourselves what we mean by “dramaturgy”, especiall
(Asian) Dramaturgs’ Network: Sensing, Complexity, Tracing and Doing explores the histories, stories, and practices of the Asian Dramaturgs’ Network (ADN), a network of dramaturgs, performance makers, cultural producers and performance scholars in the wider Asian region that has been active since 2016. It explores two questions that have emerged through ADN dialogues and events. Are there Asian or Asia-based dramaturgies of practice and performance? And how does one write about
Charlene Rajendran, Peter Eckersall, Daniel Teo, Chong Gua Khee, Nah Dominic, Ugoran Prasad
Taking our cue from the very first ADN session titled Mapping the Terrain, which began with a discussion of how different Asian languages referred to ‘dramaturg’, ADN Re/View (Vol.1) charts some of the key ideas that emerged and circulated about dramaturgy and dramaturging in Asia.
ADN Re/View is a series of three E-zines which offer snapshots of the work of ADN, drawing from the transcripts of the presentations and dialogues that occurred at varied ADN events since 2016.&n
ADN Re/View (Vol. 2) considers how ‘tracing’ offers a frame to work with when making sense of how dramaturgy affects our lives – in performance-making and in the everyday. In tracing the ways dramaturgs think about their work and articulate key approaches in their practice, we observe lines of connection and disruption, moments of synergy and separation.
ADN Re/View is a series of three E-zines which offer snapshots of the work of ADN, drawing from the transcripts of the presentations and
ADN Re/View (Vol. 3) plays with the notion of framing in dramaturgical thinking and the work of a dramaturg. A recurring challenge for a dramaturg, as with an artist, is to work out what really needs to be done and how best to do this. Varied options may emerge as to the kinds of frames and framing mechanisms that would best serve the work, and shaping the frames is an aspect of artistry that may not always be noticed.
ADN Re/View is a series of three E-zines which offer snapshots of the w
This book argues that dramaturgy makes things visible and does so in two distinct and interrelating ways: creative processes and formal elements of performance are rendered visible and readable; and performance dramaturgy becomes an expanded practice in which performance is a locus for creating wide-ranging events and activities.This exploration defines dramaturgy as a perceptibly transforming agency in the construction, presentation and reception of contemporary performance; and it shows how contemporary p
What is a dramaturg? What is dramaturgy? What are the political implications for the way that plays produce meaning in performance?Over the last decade, the role of the dramaturg has become more common in the theatrical process, but it is still a new term for many theatre-goers. Theatre & Dramaturgy offers a working definition of what dramaturgy means, and asks how understanding theatre from the perspective of dramaturgy can help us understand the world around us.This concise study examines how western
This book addresses theatre’s contribution to the way we think about ecology, our relationship to the environment, and what it means to be human in the context of climate change. It offers a detailed study of the ways in which contemporary performance has critiqued and re-imagined everyday ecological relationships, in more just and equitable ways. The broad spectrum of ecologically-oriented theatre and performance included here, largely from the UK, US, Canada, Europe, and Mexico, have problematised, refram
In New Dramaturgies: Strategies and Exercises for 21st Century Playwriting, Mark Bly offers a new playwriting book with nine unique play-generating exercises.These exercises offer dramaturgical strategies and tools for confronting and overcoming obstacles that all playwrights face. Each of the chapters features lively commentary and participation from Bly’s former students. They are now acclaimed writers and producers for media such as House of Cards, Weeds, Friday Night Lights, Warrior, and The Affair, and