Tag: Dramaturgy

A reflection on process written by DDIS researcher, Erin Lindsay

Graphic of the Beast by Emily Soussana

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The project 

I had the privilege of being a researcher on the DDIS (Digital Dramaturgy Integration Strategy) conceived by Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal in partnership with potatoCakes_digital and with support from the Canada Council for the Arts. The project involved a long-form process supporting artist collaborators across the creation of 4 new Canadian live performance works focused on digital experimentation. It was led by digital dramaturgs Andrew Scriver and Emily Soussana (potatoCakes_digital) in collaboration with the following PWM dramaturgs: Fatma Sarah Elkashef, Aki Matsushita, and Leila Ghaemi. The collaborating creators/playwrights on the project were: Amanda Smith, Maxime Corbeil-Perron, Gillian Stone, Panthea Vatandoost, Scout Rexe, Emma Tibaldo and Lois Brown. A core facet of the project was its more than two-year duration, as well as the funds, time, and resources allocated to artists to foster experimentation and ongoing conversations across several workshops.

Dramaturg Aki Matsushita in the Blood Moon process 

The project also involved interviews with external artists and organizations whose work is informed by digital art to deepen the project and the team’s insights into digital processes in other sectors/disciplines. These external consultants included: Amy Chartrand (freelance narrative strategist;NFB: digital arts), Andrea Peña and Bobby Léon (digital arts, film and choreography), SAT (digital arts), Rilla Khaled (Concordia/TAG), Oasis Immersion (digital arts), Nadia Ross: STO Union (digital arts and theatre) and Kyungseo Min: Blizzard (narrative writing for video games). The DDIS process concluded with a public event in PWM’s studio that featured digital installations related to the process across all 4 workshops and a one-hour panel discussion with the project’s creators and dramaturgs.

Panel discussion at PWM

DDIS aimed to explore the dialogue, questions, conversations, prototypes and connections that can emerge at the intersection of dramaturgical and creation practices and digital technology. 

We decided to name the project’s research outcome a “process beast” because of its various generative, sensing, evolving, and open-ended tentacles. The research work began in a more closed and conclusive container. We felt the need to broaden and open the research’s structure in favour of the “process beast,” because we felt its tentacles spoke to the porosity, sensitivity and agility needed for ongoing, process-centred learning. 

Context and Care

Over the course of the DDIS process, I became pregnant, birthed my son (a beautiful sweetie named Lawrence), and navigated the choppy and, at times, seemingly impossible waters of postpartum. PWM and potatoCakes_digital decided to keep me on the project, and they were incredibly accommodating, gentle and caring with me in this first tender year.

The DDIS team also ensured that another collaborating artist had a dark room to nurse in during her workshop. I will forever be grateful to PWM for being so understanding and flexible to this new artist parent. It is hopeful to know that this is possible in the arts. I want to sincerely thank interim DDIS researchers Tiernan Cornford and Madeline Scovil who stepped in with incisive insights and questions during my maternity leave. Thank you for your work. 

The learning and impact 

The learning (around process, collaboration, dramaturgy, experimentation, interdisciplinary work, modes of communication and ways of thinking about and approaching creation) was endlessly rich throughout this process. It is hard to fully take inventory of the impact DDIS has had on my life and practice. It is also nearly impossible to clearly define dramaturgy, let alone digital dramaturgy. I do think an attempt to reach at different articulations, definitions and perspectives of the practice is important. Sharing and making process visible feels essential to generative exchange. 

With this articulation and sharing around process in mind, let’s move on to the beast. 

SHARING RESEARCH: Excerpts from The Process Beast

Actor Cara Rebecca in the Cult Play process

The Four Workshops

DDIS provided long-term dramaturgy to 4 projects at different stages of development. The workshops involved digital explorations with: audio-visual experiments, the genre of horror, live and projected translation and explorations with language, the impact of analog and digital technologies on memory and storytelling, the narrative tension that can exist between live and pre-recorded digital materials, possibilities of inclusive livestreamed performances, experimentation with illusion and architecture to convey dissociation and embodied emotion, and the role movement tracking can play in conveying setting and mood.

Singer Jacqueline Woodley in the Blood Moon process

Research Methods 

As a researcher, the methods I used to gather information throughout  DDIS were: mind maps of key themes in each workshop; open-ended questions; overheard dialogue and conversations during the workshop process; recurring interviews with artist collaborators, external artists and organizations, and participating dramaturgs; and observation of rapid prototyping or media sketches from potatoCakes_digital that were created as part of each workshop’s development process and archived throughout the duration of the DDIS.

A process log was created for each workshop.
You can view one for the Blood Moon creation process here.

Excerpts from conversations with artist collaborators and dramaturgs

Ongoing conversation is essential to a dramaturgical practice and collaboration. Here are some excerpts from the dramaturgs and creators/playwrights who participated in the DDIS process.

Actor Kimia Pourazar in the Zaboon process

On the Cult Play process 

SCOUT:

It’s transformative to get dramaturgical support that is curious, holistic and flexible rather than being prescriptive in a way that looks for a neat and tidy way of answering a question for a playwright. Creating outside of the pressures of production… that dramaturgical
support can provide a beneficial kind of companionship; a creative companionship in an endeavour that’s so existential. – Playwright, Cult Play

On the Blood Moon process

GILLIAN:
I do have forms of synesthesia that I work with internally. So to have that projected outside and to be informed by other brains, to have this external kind of synesthesia, it’s something I haven’t really done before. So that was really cool. Working in this way really expanded so much of this project.” –Gillian Stone, Blood Moon co-creator

AKI:

For Blood Moon, it was a very unconventional way of working. The affective explorations built with the singer in the room were especially interesting. I could see the anxiety build up as I watched the performer behind the scrim. I felt very open and receptive. It was a process that pushed me not to overprepare. It was one of those rare occasions where I’m responding in the moment. Not to a story or text yet. I wasn’t getting too heady. It was the excitement of starting from a premise that is not necessarily narrative-based. Through sound and projection mapping. Through exploring distortion as well. Exploring the feeling of a piece. Having an understanding of this feeling physically and viscerally before understanding what story we’re following. –Dramaturg on the Blood Moon process.

On the Invisible Me process 

Playwright/co-creator/performer Lois Brown in the Invisible Me process 

LOIS:

We were really not sure how all of the equipment would work. It looks like we would have to rehearse it in a studio and then compact it down into a rig that could fit in my bedroom or downstairs, which would be made to look like my bedroom. Then I could do a performance from my house. A live Zoom. A digital format. It would also include some objects that are not live, and by objects I mean pieces of animation and design. Recordings. It’s interesting, when something is recorded I don’t think of it as me anymore. – Lois Brown, Invisible Me playwright/performer 

EMMA:

I think some of the false starts in terms of what kind of animation or technology was needed, what effect we were looking for…this was the dramaturgy. It was trying something and figuring out that wasn’t the way we wanted it to go. That also helped to simplify the text. It helped me figure out the order of everything. I do think that one of the biggest lessons for me was keeping the playwriting at the centre of it. I think reading the script every day recentered us because you didn’t come in with any idea of what the play was, but more of a concrete understanding of the play that day. – Director and Dramaturg for Invisible Me 

On the Zaboon process 

LEILA:

I think there is a lack of preciousness with digital dramaturgy. With kind of throwing stuff at the wall. It forces us to do the doing rather than the talking, which I think is great. It’s more than visual. It’s six senses. I operate with the six senses in a way where I try to create an ecosystem. I like to revisit Small Planet by Eleanor Fuchs to discover the six senses of a piece. To explore the initial impulses. I think digital dramaturgy is a tool. A tool for the six senses. –Leila Ghaemi, Dramaturg on Zaboon

RESEARCH FINDINGS AND OBSERVATIONS

Director/Creator Amanda Smith in the Blood Moon process 

After reviewing observations, conversations, questions, and prototypes from the DDIS project, the following two key dramaturgical findings emerged in connection with the “process beast” that exists at the intersection of digital and other forms of dramaturgical creation practices: experimental and holistic collaboration, and sensory worldbuilding.

We observed that experimental and holistic collaboration was explored through: 1) a lack of scarcity made possible through institutional support and funding 2) rapid prototyping (with writing and digital design) that embraced improvisation, failure, experimentation and trial and error 3) a shared vocabulary and group cohesion established through room set-up, choice of collaborators, and a structured container for experimentation and ongoing conversations before, during and after the workshops 4) fluidity between roles and disciplines: a willingness to work across disciplinary and role-oriented codes towards the goal of each collaborator working dramaturgically. 

We observed that sensory worldbuilding was explored through: 

Spatial thinking and memory as story structure

1) an architectural way of thinking about story (plot, character, setting theme, style, form and stage space. For ex: exploring the layering of 2D and 3D spaces 2) a third space: an exploration of the storied third space that occurs when digital and analog stage spaces overlap, collaborate and interact 3) illusion, memory and perspective: explorations of memory, the subconscious and the spectrum of reality and the surreal. 

Visual and auditory landscapes as story structure

We observed that the collaboration between digital dramaturgy and other forms of dramaturgical collaboration catalyzed a unique visual and sonic vocabulary that could be used as the building blocks for story or as prompts for collaboration in the creation work. Some of the observed visual/narrative techniques involved in that storied world-building are:

1) juxtaposition: of visual media, digital and analog stage space, and sound 2) imagery, colour and metaphor as story through visual and audio media 3) rhythm, pattern and repetition through visuals and sound as a narrative structure 

These observations represent tentacles of the beast and are by no means conclusive.
We hope that they continue to offer a container or touchpoint for future dialogue about process. 

On attempting to articulate digital dramaturgy:

These words point at articulating, but not too cleanly or narrowly defining, digital
dramaturgy. This is an ongoing articulation. A living list of possibilities. This text was built by
researcher Erin Lindsay in response to the DDIS process.

Digital dramaturgy is…

a rich dramaturgical approach to sensory world building

a generative, spatial, visual and auditory method for holistic experimentation

an often design-based prompt for collaboration, creation and a lateral way of working

a sometimes non-verbal way to engage with a play and creator or collaborative team

a space for exploration of texture, genre, architecture, emotion, theme, plot, structure;

all the interlocking elements of a play or performance experience

a way to explore the relationship between form, medium, media and writing

a proposal, a challenge, a collaboration, a process and an observation

a mycelium network of evolving relationships, questions and conversations

a reaching and tentacled way of working, creating and seeing

Thank you for exploring process with us.

We will be sharing the full website with more research questions, findings and digital archives in the near future, so stay tuned!

Sincerely,
A dramaturgical nerd.

The Digital Dramaturgy Integration Strategy was made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

by Liam Zarrillo

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The storytelling process has arrived at a fascinating and complex intersection. Historically speaking, stories and stages have seen a devastating lack of representation of folks who come from marginalized or barrier-facing communities. (This has been both in terms of characters in stories, as well as the artists crafting the stories themselves.) It appears that we are now reckoning with this reality and want to do something about it.

But what do we do? Who do we need to see in stories and on stages? Who has the right to include such characters? Surely the answer cannot be: one may only craft characters that resemble one’s exact lived experience. No, it is necessary for us to be writing stories that are reflective of life. Real life. And real life is diverse.

For myself, from this aim towards authenticity and accountability, a new professional and artistic role was borne. It falls under several titles, depending on the project/project’s phase: that of cultural consultant, experiential consultant or cultural dramaturg.   

For over a year, I have been working in this capacity on a play called O Death by Scout Rexe. This play has received support from several different companies across the country, and has been championed for years by Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal.

While I had worn the hat of cultural consultant before coming on board O Death, it is through my experience working on this project that I have begun to truly shape and hone my practice.

Given that O Death is a queer wok, it makes perfect sense that our time together has followed a queer process. A “queer process” can be defined in endless ways, as what makes it “queer” is subjectively defined by the participants themselves. As someone who identifies explicitly as a “queer theatre artist”, my definition of a queer process is one that is inclusive of, but extends beyond solely contemplations on gender & sexuality. I consider a queer process to be one that exists without any rigid pre-existing boundaries or structures. One that is constantly interrogating norms and is flexible and open to redefinition and rearticulation. It is reflective of and responsive to the needs of those involved in an ever-evolving way.

Because my experience working on O Death through PWM has been held inside of this queer context, I have had the space to experiment with and perform this new role in a myriad of ways. O Death tells the story of a trans musician (James) and his queer femme sister (Caddy) hit with several significant obstacles as their music careers are about to take off. I was initially brought on to have some chats and dig in on the authenticity of James’ character. Since then, I have had countless thoughtful sessions and conversations with the playwright. I have read several drafts. I have fed back and been heard. I have been encouraged to bring my dramaturgical experience into my role, allowing for dialogue not only about the authenticity of the trans character, but how his experience fits into his narrative journey. This non-exhaustive list just scratches the surface of such a formative process. 

And now, when I sit down with playwrights or artistic directors to discuss a new cultural consultant contract, I am able to articulate how I work, what I can bring to the table, and offer them options about how we might proceed. The number one goal being inviting in, consensual teaching, healthy boundaries and whatever most serves the story and project at the given moment.

This intersection of authenticity meets accountability is complicated, it is nuanced. I do not believe there is one hard and fast, objective answer or solution to the challenge. There is so much to be mindful of when interacting with the lived experiences of others. We need to ensure we are not taking up space that should belong to others. It is not our right to tell the stories of others, when folks can and should be given the opportunity to tell them for themselves.

I do believe it is our responsibility, however, as arts makers to consider this challenge of diversifying stories and stages, and how we might rise to meet it. There might be no “overcome” in a world as entrenched in problematic and oppressive systems as ours… but I do believe that there is “try”. There is “listen”. There is “do better than the last time.”  There is actively working towards the kind of change we want to see. 

by Scout Rexe

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I had the honour of spending last week with dramaturg Fatma Sarah Elkashef (she/her) and cultural dramaturg and performer Liam Zarrillo (they/them) at an invited residency at Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal (PWM) to work on my play with music, O Death.

O Death is a nuanced exploration of trans and queer identities, accountability culture, and the impact of our cultural icons. After being called out by a fan, trans musician James and his queer sister Caddy must reckon with pressure from their family, the media, and the public whilst launching their musical career in the shadow of their rock legend grandfather. Generations collide as James and Caddy discover their grandfather’s corrupted legacy. 

The play is dark and funny. Intimate family conversations are punctuated with a series of surreal mindscapes that offer playful, non-linear access to James’s inner life. I worked on the songs in the show with musicians Susil Sharma (he/him) and Hayden Siemens (they/them) who composed the music, bringing an authenticity that feels essential to the play’s characters.

This project has gone through a rich and deeply collaborative development process. I first met Sarah in 2018 after moving back to Montreal with two small grants from Buddies in Bad Times and Nightwood Theatre to write O Death. I instantly connected with Sarah. We have both been committed to a deep investigation of both the play and our process, and our shared commitment to this has meant we’ve spent a lot of time figuring out how best to create it. 

Early on in the project, I identified the need to work closely with an actor with lived experience to play the role of James–someone who could work with me as a cultural dramaturg, and be properly compensated for that labour, in addition to working as a performer in the development process. When we couldn’t find the right collaborator in Montreal, Sarah and PWM secured additional travel funds for someone who could be brought in from another city in Canada. We couldn’t find the right person, and ended up canceling our workshop at PWM in 2019. 

In 2020, I moved to Manitoba, and Sarah introduced me to Brian Drader (he/him) who is a playwright as well as the Executive Director of the Manitoba Association of Playwrights. He read a draft of O Death and connected me with Liam, who is fiercely intelligent, and considerate, and a gifted actor and dramaturg. 

Liam and I started working together right away, with PWM hiring them on as a cultural dramaturg on the project. We worked intentionally to develop a safer space within each other and our work process, and in so doing, started to form a really meaningful friendship. 

Our dramaturgical conversations lead up to a 16 hour workshop with PWM in 2021 with a full cast. Because of the pandemic, we ran the workshop on Zoom, allowing Liam to join from Winnipeg, me to join from Brandon, Kate Hammer (she/they) from Scotland to play queer femme musician Caddy, and Chip Chuipka (he/him), Jane Wheeler (she/her), Julie Tamiko Manning (she/her), and Sarah Elkashef (she/her) from Montreal. That workshop was incredibly generative, and I continue to feel closely connected to this particular group of performers. 

I spent a few months re-writing the script based on the feedback from the workshop before joining Liam, Kate, and Sarah again as a Collective in Residence at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre for 40 hour residency in which we brought in musician Hayden Siemens and focused on the music in the show: the dramaturgy of the music, the creation of new songs, and the creative relationship between the queer sibling characters. As seems to be the case any time I join a group to work on this play, our time was enormously productive; we seemed to do months’ worth of work in just a few days. 

Since that residency, Liam and I have continued to work together dramaturgically with support from the Manitoba Arts Council. We decided to take the week at PWM to focus on James’s trajectory and the ways in which the play can be a healing journey for him: a story of resilience and of coming into oneself.

As a queer artist, I seek to make work that is as complex as the communities with whom it is in dialogue with. Throughout our process, we’ve worked continuously to create more trauma-informed spaces. We structured this residency with check-ins, scene-by-scene read throughs, robust dramaturgical conversations (which inevitably involved cue cards taped to the wall), and check outs. We took long lunches. We allowed ourselves shorter days, and time to stretch. All of this might sound trite, but as an artist with a full-time job in education, the days I have to make theatre feel precious and urgent. It’s my tendency to push. And so too it must be my practice to build out space for myself and my collaborators to be well–to be as safe and self-determining as possible throughout the entire creation process.

PWM offers a space for artists to create outside of the pressures of imminent production. This is vital, as is their practice to support artists holistically over time. My ongoing relationship with the artists I’ve met through creating O Death has been hugely impactful. I will continue to work with Sarah dramaturgically for as long as she’ll have me; in addition to O Death, I’m working with her on my new project Cult Play. Since meeting Kate, we have become writing partners, working long-distance from Canada to Scotland on our TV series called Make It. And I can’t imagine working on another play without Liam–someone whose collaboration and friendship has completely opened up the possibilities for me as a theatre artist and human being; I’ve often walked away from our dramaturgical meetings feeling that not only the work, but I, have been transformed in a meaningful way. 

I can’t wait to be in the room with these brilliant artists again. In the meantime, the next step for me is a writing residency in Riding Mountain National Park for two weeks in the summer. Since O Death is set in a house in the woods, I can’t think of a better place to hide out and finish the next draft.