Foreword

There is something shameful in the city of Savannah. That particular shame is that in a city with at least half a dozen producing organizations, there is absolutely no dramatic criticism. There is plenty of theatre, but no substantive criticism in any of the newspapers or magazines that grace our fair city. Thus, I present The Savannah Dramaturgy.

When G.E. Lessing, the first dramaturg, first began working at the National Theatre in Hamburg, he was expected to act, essentially, as a press agent for that theatre by raising the profile with his published praise and, possibly more in the minds of his employers, name recognition. However, he instead assumed the role of public educator, giving fair critique of theatrical performance and aesthetics for his city.

Such is the nature of my own project here. I will not pretend to be an impartial observer of theatrical Savannah, because I am not. I have worked and will work with various theatres in and around the city for years to come. Instead, I will promise my honesty. Given my working with the theatre, I have a distinct knowledge of techniques and methods employed throughout the city, and I will make use of these. If the reader has a problem with my involvement, let them read elsewhere... go pick up a newspaper and see what good it will do.

Thus, the purpose of this work is not mere criticism. This is a part of it, yes. This is, above all, dramaturgy. And the dramaturg, whether Michael Lupu at the Guthrie in Minneapolis, Mark Bly at the Arena in Washington D.C., or Celise Kalke at the Alliance in Atlanta, must be interested and involved in their theatre for its betterment. The Savannah Dramaturgy is an integral part of the ongoing project to create a professional, artistic, and indigenous theatre community in the city of Savannah. After all, if a tourist trap like Hilton Head can support an Equity company, then Savannah can surely muster what it needs for a professional theatre.