Text Support: A Workshop Series for Dramaturgs

An interactive introduction to Liz Lerman's Critical Response Process (CRP) in which participants will read a script and respond following the CRP prompts, as if the playwright is in the room. Followed by a demonstration of a dramaturg-playwright conversation, ending in a full-group discussion, where observers are asked to share their observations of the demonstrated conversation.

The Text Support workshop series opened with “Responding with Care,” led by international guest dramaturg Lynde Rosario, Past President of the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas, who was introduced by Juliet Chia. The session focused on fostering thoughtful, sensitive, and constructive dramaturgical exchanges.

Participants attended from across Southeast Asia and were asked to read a working draft of a script written by playwright Andrew Rosendorf in advance, applying principles from Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process (CRP). During the workshop, Lynde introduced the CRP framework and emphasized its role in shaping her own dramaturgical practice.

The discussions began with Statements of Meaning, as participants highlighted what they found meaningful or evocative in the script. This was followed by Neutral Questions, which encouraged curiosity without embedding judgment or assumptions. Lynde also explained what Opinion Time consists of, which happens only with the artist’s permission, underscoring the importance of care and consent in feedback.

In the second half of the session, playwright Andrew Rosendorf, who shares a long-standing creative relationship with Lynde, joined her for a live, one-on-one feedback conversation. Using the Critical Response Process, Lynde engaged with his script in real time. Participants observed how familiarity between artist and dramaturg can shape the process, and how a dramaturg navigates such an exchange while offering feedback rooted in the artist’s intentions. Andrew's presence also allowed the group to complete the remaining step of the CRP, where he asked specific questions about his script and listened to the participants' responses.

Lynde closed the session by sharing final insights that encouraged participants to stay artist-focused and intentional in their approach. The workshop concluded with participants gaining a clearer understanding of how to respond to playwrights by balancing honesty and compassion.

This session will look at the specific practice of working with early career artists. Working on a writer's first full length play, with writers with no formal writing training, and those who may have had little experience of seeing their work on stage and exploring how we might employ dramaturgy effectively at times when a writer's own knowledge and experience of practice and craft is limited.

The second session in the Text Support workshop series, “Practising (and Knowing the Limits of) Dramaturgy with Early Career Writers”, was led by Steve Harper, Literary Manager of Theatre503. Drawing on his background in academia, directing, and literary development, Steve gave participants a glimpse of his multi-layered approach when it comes to guiding an early-career writer. 

The session began with introductions, after which Steve discussed the basics of working with early-career playwrights, highlighting the importance of tailoring feedback to each individual writer. He emphasised the dramaturg’s role as a supporter of the writer’s vision, and the need to communicate clearly without overwhelming the writer. He also shared differences between UK and European dramaturgical models, especially when it comes to the ways in which  dramaturgs are embedded in the development process.

Participants were asked to read an early draft of the play Parakeet, submitted through Theatre503’s Rapid Write Response programme. In breakout groups, they discussed their dramaturgical responses and identified key areas for development. Steve went on to share his perspectives in each room before the groups reconvened to present their insights.

Steve then offered his own reflections, using Parakeet as a case study. By sharing his experience working on it, he demonstrated how he compresses extensive notes into one or two key points, especially when working with writers still developing their craft. He also compared the early draft to the final version, highlighting how targeted dramaturgical input helped shape the play’s evolution into a successful production.

The session ended with an open discussion, where participants explored approaches to giving thoughtful, focused feedback. The exchange emphasized the need for dramaturgical sensitivity when supporting early-career writers, and the value of identifying a play’s potential while respecting the writer’s process.

Can you free your work from existing structures to tell the story you want, or work outside of story entirely, and still create a satisfying theatrical event? Canadian-based dramaturg Brian Quirt will review several case studies from his projects with a focus on how he collaborated with the creators to determine, test, and refine theatrical structures beyond conventional Western, text-centric, narrative forms.

The third Text Support workshop, The Well-Made Non-Play – Dramaturging Theatrical Structures, was led by guest dramaturg Brian Quirt, Artistic Director of Nightswimming, a Canadian company focused on developing new plays, musical works, and dance performances through research and creation.

The session explored dramaturgical approaches to non-narrative and non-text-based forms. Brian began by asking participants what drew them to these forms, then introduced the session’s title, drawn from his recent project The Wolf in the Voice. Presented at Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre, the piece challenged conventional expectations through a voice-driven, non-linear structure that used vocal breaking as a metaphor for identity. The piece was intended to provoke discomfort in its audience, aiming to expand how performance is understood. Calling it a “well-made non-play” helped frame the work as structured and deliberate, despite its unconventional form - a concept that applies to many Nightswimming projects.

Brian went on to share his generative, idea-driven approach to dramaturgy, which focuses on process rather than early structure. He also highlighted the importance of considering audience experience, particularly in the absence of traditional plot or character. This could be achieved by balancing challenges with rewards, such as humor or emotional intimacy. He illustrated how this would work using the example of Blue Note, a vocal ensemble piece developed via task-based song-teaching exercises. This process decentered authorship and shaped the piece through observation, repetition, and instinct, rather than scripting. Brian encouraged dramaturgs to design processes that suit each unique project. One example was inviting artists to work only during shared sessions to foster real-time collaboration and avoid going back to conventional models.

The session concluded with reflections on the dramaturg’s role in embracing ambiguity, navigating constraints, and revealing creative choices rather than simplifying complexity. Brian closed by thanking participants and expressing his appreciation for the conversation.

This workshop invites dramaturgs to consider their role in new play development within a global context and to decentre the local (or national) systems and modalities that seem "normal" in order to meet playwrights from different countries, cultures, and theatrical languages where they are. As collaborations increasingly cross borders, languages, and audience expectations, we’ll explore how to support writers whose lived experiences and creative frameworks may differ significantly from our own. What does it mean to be a dramaturg attuned to the global, and how can we cultivate practices that are adaptive, respectful, and responsive? 

The final instalment of our Text Support workshop series was led by freelance dramaturg Annie Jin Wang, who provided participants with new perspectives on the dramaturgical process when applied to new play development. 

The session opened with introductions - participants were asked to share one word to describe their dramaturgical practice, allowing Annie to get a better understanding of how they view themselves as dramaturgs. 

Annie then went into detail about the ‘global matrix’, a framework which allows dramaturgs to locate a new play relative to themselves, and the artistic and sociopolitical context in which the play exists. This framework prompts dramaturgs to evaluate their personal familiarity, as well as the intended audience and surrounding community’s familiarity, with the form and content for the work. Annie noted that the playwright can also situate themselves in the matrix, which can help inform the ways in which they work with the dramaturg on the new play. Participants had the opportunity to share their thoughts on the matrix and how they might apply it in their own practices. 

The second part of the session saw the participants discussing two new plays in breakout groups through the lens of the global matrix. The first play was The Nicest Body Ever Seen Around These Parts, a dramatic monologue written by Catalonian playwright Josep Maria Miró, and the second play was Hercules of Houston County, Alabama, a satirical, political family drama written by Rachel Chin, who was a playwright-in-residence with Centre 42 from 2022 - 2023. 

Participants were tasked to share their thoughts on the plays’ forms, settings, and conflicts, and situate the plays on their own personal matrices. Rachel was also invited to share her motivations behind writing her play and how it relates to her wider body of work, providing participants with first-hand insight on its development and the context in which it was created. 

The workshop concluded with a quick Q&A session, and Annie’s final thoughts on the nuances involved in new play development and the application of the ‘global matrix’ framework.

• All workshops will be conducted online via Zoom.
• Each workshop will be capped at 15 participants.
• The working language will be English. Captioning (in English) will be enabled for Zoom so you will be able to use this function if you wish. 
• The sessions will be conducted using a mix of short presentations, discussions and breakout group activities. 
• There will be some readings assigned prior to each workshop. Participants will be expected to make time to complete these.