A dramaturg is a literary adviser in a theatre company who researches and interprets scripts, giving crucial historical and literary background to plays. As a dramaturg, I consult with directors, production teams, and actors, and I am also involved with script cutting and adaptation. Sometimes my work extends to providing feedback during rehearsals and writing educational and outreach materials for the productions.
Montana Shakespeare in the Parks
Montana Shakespeare in the Parks website
King Lear (2022)
For the first time in its 50-year history, MSIP brought King Lear to stages across Montana in their summer tour of 2022. The adaptation set the play in late 19th-century, focusing on greed and power struggles among the white settlers.
Cymbeline (2021)
This production of Cymbeline explored the tensions between the natural and unnatural worlds of this fairy tale-inspired play. The adaptation focused on the key role of the characters Belaria and Cadwall, who lived in the cave in Wales and led the way to the regenerative healing of the play’s final scene.
This production was part of Cymbeline in the Anthropocene — an intercontinental network of eight site-specific productions of this tragicomic romance. Click this link to hear the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s radio podcast covering several of the participating companies of the project (including Montana Shakespeare in the Parks):
CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) Talks about Cymbeline in the Anthropocene
Gretchen Minton and Mikey Gray (pictured below in first and third picture) co-wrote an article about this production that was published in Cambridge University’s New Theatre Quarterly magazine, exploring this play from the perceptions of the audience, the actors, the dramaturg, and the director. Access this fascinating article here:
The Ecological Resonance of Imogen’s Journey in Montana’s Parks.
Macbeth (2017)
Set against the backdrop of societal collapse in the wake of climate catastrophe, this production imagined clan warfare and competition for limited resources in a future dystopian Montana.
Bozeman Actors Theatre
Bozeman Actors Theatre website
I have served as the Bozeman Actor Theatre’s (BAT) dramaturg since 2017 and have worked on plays including Copenhagen, Life of Galileo, and Enemy of the People; in February 2024 I will serve as Dramaturg for BAT’s production of Born With Teeth.
Enemy of the People (2019)
This production of Henrik Ibsen’s play was a timely exploration of water quality and other environmental issues. Although the play is set in late 19th century Norway, it evoked local and contemporary concerns for our Montana audiences.
Performed at Montana State University’s famous Museum of the Rockies in the Hager Auditorium, the play brought together theatre artists, academics, and community members for post-show discussions.
