A few questions with Tippin, the dramaturg for Traitor, our first Mainstage Show of our 2020 Season.
1. What does a dramaturg do and what has been your role specific to this production?
LOL Good question! A dramaturg might do a lot of different things, but generally speaking, serves as a consultant helping to translate a script from the page to the stage. I realize that sounds pretty vague, but the particular tasks depend on the needs of the show.
It generally involves a lot of research and attention to detail, and particularly with original works, collaborating with playwright and director to make sure the script and production make sense and are cohesive, that the intention behind the written word is coming through on the stage.
Since Traitor is a published script, my role here hasn't involved working directly with the playwright as much as looking up references within the text to science and pop culture, digging up background information, checking pronunciations and definitions, researching the history of previous performances in Chicago, and finding connections between the events of the play and current events (spoiler alert: holy divisive political landscape, Batman!)
2. What topics have been the main focus of your research for this show?
Since Traitor is an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's 1882 play An Enemy of the People, one of my big tasks early on was to read and summarize that script for the cast and crew, pointing out similarities and differences between the two plays. I've also dug up quite a few reviews of the original Red Orchid Theatre production of Traitor, so we can see what critics thought worked and didn't work.
2018 Production of Traitor at A Red Orchid Theatre, Chicago Image credit: Michael Brosilow
I've also been reading up on Flint, Michigan's water crisis and other public health concerns, as well as looking into reports on our local water infrastructure issues. All of this will culminate in a display set up in the theatre lobby for the run of the show. Oh, and alongside the serious research, throw in YouTube clips of Bugs Bunny, Dirty Dancing, and Happy Days. You'll have to come see the show to find out how all that silliness fits in!
3. We often see you on stage here at The Magnetic Theatre, what’s it like being on this side of a production?
One of the things I love about acting, especially in meatier roles with some historical or social relevance, is the "table work" of character-building and research, so dramaturgy is right up my alley. I get to indulge my geekery for gaining new knowledge and different understandings of the world, and I get to do so without the added stress of memorizing lines and blocking! It's a nice break, being behind the scenes sometimes.
4. How does having a dramaturg enhance a production?
I think it's useful to have someone whose primary job is to focus on the text, its meaning, language, structure, and background. Of course actors, directors, stage managers, and designers put a lot of work into understanding the characters and actions they're bringing to life, but they have A LOT on their plates, so it's good to have an extra set of eyes on the big picture and a grounding in the text.
5. What does your work process for being a dramaturg look like?
Read the script. Read it again, highlighting and making notes. Google a bunch of stuff. Hear the actors read the script aloud, highlighting and making notes. Google some more. Ask if anyone needs any research done, if maybe there's something I missed or took for granted. Keep on Googling.
Share all of my discoveries with the cast and crew in a doc with a ton of notes and links to further reading. As of right now, roughly halfway through rehearsals, I have about three and a half pages of notes and links, plus 15 open browser tabs. Google is the air I breathe.
6. How is working at The Magnetic Theatre different from working at other theatres in the area?
I'd say the main difference is just the sheer variety of shows we produce and events we host in our space. We've got straight comedy, satire, autobiography, drama, horror, and 60s B-movie Christmas shows, a musical, sketch comedy, staged readings, a one-act festival, and collaborations with burlesque performers, stand-up and improv comedians, schools, and other theatre companies all happening 2020. That's a lot of shows and events! I hope there's a little something for everyone.
7. How do you think this show is relevant to Asheville audiences?
Well, as much as I love this town, we've got our share of local scandals, shady dealings, and questionable city planning choices. A disintegrating infrastructure, a recent economic revitalization, polarized politics. Without getting into too much detail, I think locals will find resonance with the play's concerns over who's profiting, at whose expense.
Traitor runs March 13th - 28th at The Magnetic Theatre. Click here for more information: www.themagnetictheatre.com
