How to Be a Dramaturg
On March 21st SLOC Hosted a panel discussion titled “How to Be a Dramaturg: Interest, Inclusion and Information with Those in the Know”. Thank you to our fabulous panelists those that attended the event and asked questions!
For those who were unable to attend, we recorded a majority of the discussion (our apologies to Dr. Krysta Dennis for starting the recording a bit late into her intro!). For more information about our panelists, click their names below!
Dr. Krysta Dennis, producer of creative arts at Siena College, works as a theatre-maker, dramaturg, and director in the US and internationally. Krysta holds a dual PhD from the University of Kent in the UK and the Sorbonne in Paris and trained as a performer at L’Ecole Jacques Lecoq. Krysta enjoys experimenting with theatre technology in her work including video mapping, augmented reality and virtual reality. She is the author of three plays, Votes for Women, The Burden of the Ballot and Dutch. Krysta is a founding member of the Living Museum Project, an interdisciplinary organization that pairs history, theatre, visual arts and computer science students with historic sites to create innovative and artistic new interpretations of their spaces. She is currently the Chair of Dramaturgy for Region 1 of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF). She has published withContemporary Theatre Review, Interdisciplinary Network, Routledge, and the Pirandello Society of America.
David Baecker is a Professor of Theatre at Russell Sage College. He has directed locally with the New York State Theatre Institute, Saratoga Shakespeare Company, Troy Foundry Theatre and Theater Voices. At the Theatre Institute at Sage, he has directed THE WAR OF THE WORLDS, FRECKLEFACE STRAWBERRY, THE 39 STEPS, BASKERVILLE! and others. He is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Heather-Liz Copps is an experienced performer, director and dramaturg. She received her BA in Theatre Arts from Marymount Manhattan College and her MA in Theatre History & Criticism from the Catholic University of America. Her primary area of dramaturgical study is Grand Guignol theatre and she has served as the Dramaturg for Molotov Theatre Company in Washington, DC for their 2011-2012 production of Fat Men in Skirts. She has also served as the Dramaturg for CUA’s production of The Crucible. Her interests in theatre history and textual analysis play a vital role in her work as a director as well, having helmed new works for play festivals, academic original projects and historically based shows like SLOC’s recent production of 1776.