Dramaturgs In Practice Training Programme 2024

Practice Attachment #1:

• Project: Dive
• Industry Partner: Wild Rice

Dramaturg as first audience; observations and analysis during final rehearsals for a new play premiere

Practice Attachment #2:

• Project: No Particular Order
• Industry Partner: Intercultural Theatre Institute

Production dramaturgy; supporting director to develop artistic concepts; participating in early workshop explorations 

Practice Attachment #1:

• Project: Searching Blue
• Industry Partner: T.H.E. Dance Company

Creating an audience guide; thinking about audience reception for a site-specific dance performance

Practice Attachment #2:

• Artist: Daryl Qilin Yam
• Industry Partner: Fiction Shore

New play development; supporting writer with adaptation of a novella for the stage, investigating the crossover from literary writing to dramatic writing

Practice Attachment #1:

• Project: Lotus Root Support Group
• Artists: Miriam Cheong & Shannen Tan

Rehearsal and production dramaturgy; supporting the two directors-writers-performers to refine their artistic concepts as a third eye in rehearsals, and with a focus on movement dramaturgy from script to stage

Practice Attachment #2:

• Project: Threads
• Industry Partner: Singapore Repertory Theatre

Design dramaturgy; offering dramaturgical observations and analysis during production and design meetings

I’ve always been intrigued by the dramaturg - a role often spoken about with reverence, yet frustratingly vague in definition. While its value is acknowledged, the lack of clarity around what a dramaturg actually does means it is frequently misunderstood, underutilised, and treated as a luxury rather than a necessity.

Although I’d lightly engaged with the position of a dramaturg in past projects, I’d never had the chance to explore it deeply in any sustained or structured way. Like many directors, I’ve always considered dramaturgy central to my own process, which left me wondering: if directors and others already "do dramaturgy", is a separate role necessary?

But as I learned more about the role’s history and its established function in some parts of the world, my curiosity deepened, particularly around how a dramaturg's perspective, working methods, and questions differ from those of a director. And what it might feel like to consciously step into that role alone.

However, it’s the classic paradox: without experience, it’s hard to get work; and without work, it’s hard to gain experience. That’s why Centre 42’s Dramaturgs In Practice programme was so valuable. Its structure - a blend of workshops, peer dialogue, mentoring, and two industry placements - offered space to observe, explore, and test ideas in real-world contexts, within a safe and supportive setting.

My first placement was with Wild Rice on Dive, and my second with ITI on No Particular Order. Each provided different insights into how the dramaturg’s role might shift depending on the project’s needs, the timing of involvement, and the team’s structure.

With Dive, I joined late in the process as a "first audience", and my role was primarily observational. While I provided detailed feedback, the production was already well underway, and the space for dramaturgical exchange was limited. In contrast, at ITI, I joined early and worked alongside the director from the start - contributing dramaturgical inquiry to support the script analysis, early development and rehearsal process. 

Alongside the DIP, I’ve been studying for an MA in Arts and Cultural Leadership. Doing both in tandem was intentional and has enriched my thinking about the industry as a whole - offering a creative counterbalance to strategic thinking and structural theory. And I firmly believe that the dramaturgy provides a compelling framework for how we make theatre, lead teams, and shape our cultural institutions.

A dramaturg, trusted and empowered, has the potential to ensure theatre’s relevance. It understands the need for history, context, timing, and impact - the "why here?" and "why now?" It comes from a place of curiosity and brings critical enquiry, asking good questions and supporting process. It notices patterns and connects dots – not just within the creative work, but from initial concept and rehearsal room to the audience and beyond. It is a collaborator, facilitator, and observer - close enough to be invested, yet with the distance to strategically and deeply reflect.

I’m very grateful to Centre 42 for championing a role that too often remains invisible. I leave the programme with a clearer understanding of what I can offer as a dramaturg, and a renewed ambition about what the role offers. 

Part of my own interrogation into dramaturgical work that has emerged through the DIP programme, has been not so much about the work that a dramaturg does but how much work is needed to qualify being a dramaturg - resisting productivity as an end goal, and resting in enquiry and discovery in journeying with an artist, has been my biggest takeaway from this programme.

There was a lot to learn from my experience as a Dramaturg in Training, and the two attachments I experienced. I’ve come to understand the importance of: 

• Clarifying intent and communications - ensuring that the dramaturg’s involvement is wanted, and needed, in the first place, in order to be able to contribute to the best of their ability, following which the importance of having the conversation about how to have the conversation with the artists involved in a project; how discussions are conducted is every bit as important as what is discussed. 
   
• Presence - simply being present in the rehearsal space, and being around to listen to the artists and understand how they operate, is crucial, as it helps to build trust and foster the working relationship. Similarly, sometimes artists simply need to space to be heard, to make sense of their thoughts and sort through the mass of information they have - a dramaturg does not necessarily need to provide direct input to contribute to the development of the project. 

These are learning points that I will take with me in my future practice, both within the field of dramaturgy and without.