Dramaturgical

Dramaturgical is an adjective relating to dramaturgy, the field concerned with the theory and practice of dramatic presentation. In theatre and performance studies, dramaturgy encompasses the research, development, and shaping of a production, including script selection or adaptation, historical and thematic research, and collaboration with directors, playwrights, and actors. A dramaturg may create production notes, provide context for scenes, help rework structure and pacing, translate or adapt material, and assist with audience-facing materials such as program notes or season planning.

In theatre practice, dramaturgs support the creative process by interpreting texts for performance, organizing a production’s artistic framework, and ensuring coherence between narrative intent and staging choices. They may curate external materials, suggest cuts or additions to a script, and liaise between writers, directors, designers, and actors. The role varies by company and project, but it centers on ensuring that a performance communicates its aims clearly and effectively.

In sociology, the term is associated with the dramaturgical or Goffmanian perspective, which treats social life as a sequence of performances. In this view, individuals manage impressions for different audiences, and interactions are organized into front stage and back stage regions, with scripts, roles, and teams coordinating conduct. The approach analyzes how norms, power, and identity are produced through everyday acts of presentation.

The word derives from dramaturgy, the craft of shaping drama, with roots in Greek drama and related linguistic traditions. The modern dramaturg as a professional role emerged in 19th- and 20th-century European theatre, while the dramaturgical perspective in sociology gained prominence in the mid-20th century through Erving Goffman’s work. The term remains widely used across theatre studies and social science to describe practices of interpretation, performance, and visibility in cultural contexts.