Historical knowledge both broad and deep, spanning multiple culturesand periods and the ability to do historical research, especially in thearea of theater production, in any period or milieu• Comprehension of world history of theatrical practice and theory• Mastery of the fundamentals of theatrical practice from directing toplaywriting to set building to show calling to lighting design to runcrew to costume fitting to marketing to season selection• Facility with the many roles that theater can play in society• Fluent and precise writing ability at many levels for different audiences• Top-notch research skills and the power to present findings in usefulways to many different audiences• Meaningful collaboration with other theater makers from every aspectof the process

They think deeply about dramatic texts and their production.• They are experts in aesthetic philosophy and theater history.• They are strong and versatile writers.• They are committed and visionary artists who love being in rehearsaland collaborating with other artists.• They are not scared of libraries.• They are devoted to the principle that theater should be socially as wellas artistically relevant.• They are deeply driven by the “ah-ha!” of discovery.• They are intrepid, frontline operators, willing to go boldly where noone has gone before.• They are versatile and adaptable, ready to wear a variety of hats in avariety of contexts

Phronesis is one of two “intellectual virtues” that Aristotle discusses in hismoral handbook Nicomachean Ethics. The other virtue is sophia, or “scientificwisdom,” knowledge derived from the rational contemplation of first principles.

a dramaturg is a theater practitioner and an artist while a critic is a journalist,

A dramaturg is a member of the artistic team of aproduction who is a specialist in the transformation of a dramatic script intoa meaningful living performance

that the dramaturg’sfunction in the theater now is in an embryonic stage not unlike the roleof the director nearly two centuries ago, when actors and playwrightswondered why this strange creature should be allowed to exist withintheir magic circle

hat all theater strictly needs is an empty space, and some-one walking across it could be engaging in an act of theater.

1. Determine what the aesthetic architecture of a piece of dramatic literatureactually is (analysis)2. Discover everything needed to transform that inert script into a livingpiece of theater (research)3. Apply that knowledge in a way that makes sense to a living audience atthis time in this place (practical application