M.A. Dramaturgy

Historically, the dramaturge is the person in the theatre who views the production with critical distance. A part of it, but also removed, the dramaturge continuously questions the production as a whole. He reflects on its needs, necessities and obstinacy but also on its practical constraints, regulated processes and automatisms. In a best-case scenario he relates the production back to the contexts in which it stands. In this way he embodies the demands of history, society and politics within the artistic process and, on the other hands, represents these to the outside world. In order to achieve this he needs – aside from specialist knowledge – above all the basic virtues of every researcher: he should be able to read, see, think, listen, write and have the courage to avail himself of his own intellect.

And by the way, if you’re bothered by the continuous use of the masculine form in this text, we absolutely agree with you: The history of the dramaturge in the theatre – from Lessing over Hölderlin over Brecht and Rainer Schlösser to Heiner Müller – is like the history of all of the leadership figures in the theatre up to the early 70s of the past century – a male-dominated history. We cannot change this history. However, we envision its continuation differently. 

The Frankfurt Programme
With the class of 2012 the Masters Programme in Dramaturgy has started its second decade under new direction. Founded by Hans-Thies Lehmann in 2002, the concept of the programme was an answer to major upheavals in the theatre in the decade before. In the face of experimental forms that traversed the boundaries of the traditional areas of theatre, visual arts and audio-visual media and in view of new forms of music theatre, dance and performance, the tasks of dramaturgy had become more complex. The programme quickly became a successful model Graduates work in many city and state theatres as well as in the venues of independent production companies.

In view of the dramaturge’s rapidly changing job description, it is particularly important for the Frankfurt programme to convey content that prepares students not just for the theatre that already exists, but also for a future theatre still unknown to students and lecturers. Next to knowledge of the theatre as it actually exists, of its traditions and general framework, characteristics that a good dramaturge should posse include a social imagination, a knowledge of other possibilities, a sensitivity for the new and the unknown, the ability to articulate it, and the willingness to assert it in the face of the economic and political obstacles of enterprise and society. For this reason we place particular value on an international focus, tight networking with contemporary artistic practice in all areas of the theatre and neighbouring arts, and the promotion of autonomous scenic research and students’ independent academic-theoretical practice.