Are you interested in studying dramaturgy? Click here for a link to the LMDA Guide to Dramaturgy Programs.
Are you part of a program that trains dramaturgs? Click here to suggest an edit for an entry in the LMDA Guide to Dramaturgy Program.
Does your program offer a degree or certificate with the word "dramaturg" in it? Do you offer courses that contain the word "dramaturgy" or its root? Do students in your program serve as Dramaturgs or Assistant Dramaturgs? If you answered YES to ONE of these questions, your program belongs on this list. Please use this form to tell us about your program.
This Guide: A Little History
The LMDA Guide to Dramaturgy Programs offers readers a sampling of training opportunities in dramaturgy and literary management in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe. LMDA first published this guide in 1991-1992 as the LMDA Guide to Dramaturgy Training Programs.
In the 1970s, the University of Massachusetts, Yale School of Drama, and the University of Iowa were the first graduate programs in the United States to incorporate the word dramaturgy into the name of a degree program. The nature of dramaturgy as a discipline, its existence both as a role within the production process and as a way of describing the dramatic structure of a play, make it difficult to neatly describe those programs that do or do not offer an education in dramaturgy. Indeed, from the perspective of dramaturgy as a discipline, it’s impossible to teach theatre without teaching dramaturgy. A college or university might therefore offer superior training in several aspects of dramaturgy without ever using the term itself.
This Guide: An INCOMPLETE List
We recognize the multiplicity of paths to dramaturgical careers. We understand that lists have the potential undermine acceptance of such diverse paths.
For these reasons, the University Relations Committee has established three criteria for the programs we've included on this list:
- The word "dramaturgy" or its root in the degree or certificate title
- The word "dramaturgy" or its root in one or more courses
- Opportunities for students to serve as Dramaturgs and/or Assistant Dramaturgs
Does your program meet ONE of these criteria? If so, Please use this form to tell us about your program.
We hope this Guide will be received in the spirit with which it is offered: as one potential resource for people with an interest in dramaturgical training.