Gothold Ephraim Lessing 1729-1781

Born in a Lutheran clergyman's family, and with an early history of interest in theatrics, Lessing wrote a comedy by the age of 17, and shortly thereafter came under the notice of Voltaire, who employed him in making translations.He contributed to theatre in Leipzig, defying convention with his Miss Sara Sampson (1755). In 1767 Lessing became associated with a group of actors in Hamburg, where he wrote the justly celebrated Hamburg Dramaturgy, in which he explained to the world the principles underlying the art of the theater. Constructed on English models, his plays Miss Sara Sampson, Minna von Barnhelm and Emilia Galotti revolutionized the German stage, introducing the drama of ordinary life. During the next ten years two other dramas came from his pen; but he was slandered and misrepresented by Voltaire and his followers, and he suffered the usual fate of the man who is in advance of his age. The essays on dramaturgy were pirated, with the result that when he left Hamburg he was still poor, though famous. He became court librarian at Wolfenbüttel, and died in 1781. Even Goethe declares that it is impossible to estimate Lessing's influence on dramatic literature. "We lose much in him," wrote Goethe after his death, "much more than we think."

The School for Scandal

Lies and letters permeate Richard Brinsley Sheridan's The School for Scandal. How in fashionable society of Ireland, where Sheridan is from, functions I shall never know. I hear tell he is married to a singer; perhaps inspiration for scandal is already present in the home. Here is a synopsis of what I've just witnessed:

The middle-aged and wealthy bachelor, Sir Peter Teazle, has married the young and comely daughter of a country squire. The fashionable society of which Lady Teazle through through her marriage becomes a part, occupies itself mainly with malicious gossip whose arrows no one, however chaste, can completely escape. By far the most dangerous of these backbiting cliques is the one led by Lady Sneerwell.

This lady is attempting through lies and letters written by the forger, Snake, to break up the love affair between Charles Surface and Sir Peter's ward, Maria, hoping to get Charles for herself. To this end she has joined forces with Charles' brother, Joseph, a hypocritical youth who enjoys an excellent reputation in contrast to his brother's wild and extravagant habits. Joseph has his eye on the fortune that will one day come to Maria and is backed in his suit by Sir Peter who has been utterly fooled by the young man's righteous exterior. Maria sees through Joseph, however, and turns a cold ear in spite of her guardian's expressed wishes.

Meanwhile Sir Oliver Surface arrives unexpectedly from Australia. He hears such conflicting reports of his nephews and prospective heirs that he decides to look them over before he makes his arrival known. He approaches Charles in the guise of a money lender and in the famous "auction" scene buys the family portraits. Throughout the transaction he is impressed with Charles' high sense of honor and obligation to those less fortunate. When he approaches Joseph as a poor relation begging help, Joseph is revealed in his true colors.

Now gossip has linked Lady Teazle's name with that of Charles Surface, but in reality she has been indulging for fashion's sake in an affair with Joseph. The rumors about Lady Teazle and Charles come at last to Sir Peter's ears and, much distressed, he goes to Joseph's apartment to consult with him. Lady Teazle, who is enjoying a tryst with Joseph, sees Sir Peter's arrival and hastily hides behind a screen. Sir Peter, in turn, hides in a closet, when Charles unexpectedly arrives. The latter inadvertently reveals Lady Teazle behind the screen and Sir Peter, coming out of his closet, revises his estimate of Joseph.

Lady Teazle throws herself on Sir Peter's mercy with the frank confession that she was pretending to an affair because it was the fashion, but admits that her only real interest is in her own husband. Sir Oliver, meanwhile, has rounded up Snake, the forger. His confession brings about a reconciliation between Charles and Maria, and Sir Peter gladly withdraws his objections to this match.

How apropo that after the performance, audience members were invited to an additional tale of scrutiny in the lobby by a pair of journalists vying for the excusive interview, and it was found out that both were from the same news media, unbeknownst to them.

Letter Between Sisters

"The modest housewife will never be seen at the playhouses." That Samuel Rowlands doesn't know what he's talking about. We may attend covertly, but there are multitudes of women present at the theatre. Sometimes we choose to attend unescorted, which may to some, be considered unlawful. There are some who play the harlot, merely in attendance for selfish personal gain. Perhaps time will help our cause as far as being on the stage, but for now, the girls and I are content to gather money for the theatre's future productions, slyly introduce our thoughts into the world of plays. God bless the invention of the printing press, and the great writers who share their gift with us.

Getting the ball rolling...guidelines.

I forgot the login for this, haha. But now I'm back. Now, you're asking, "What is she doing?"
This is a dramaturgy production blog, for a theatre history class at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, WA. Students have been given guidelines as far as writing two posts per topic, and writing it as if we were in that time and place of which we are commentating. For the majority of this course, it places us in-between medieval and early-modern theatrical studies.

What does a production dramaturg do? (excerpted from: http://www.lmda.org/blog/WhoWeAre/AboutDramaturgy/_archives/2004/11/18/186623.html)

PRODUCTION DRAMATURGY
*Locate drafts and versions
*Collate, cut, track, edit, rewrite, construct, and arrange
*Secure permissions to use copyrighted material
*Find songs, pictures, stories, videos
*Help the designer do the research
*Help the director do casting
*Help the marketeers and developers
*Seek and present pathways into the world of the play
*Gather and arrange images, sounds, and ideas for rehearsal
*Explore and present: the world of the play, the author of the play, the script’s production history, the relevant criticism
*Conceive the forms of the script as a script
*Conceive the forms of the play as it grows
*Stay on course when all goes well
*Maintain the calm when all goes ill (as it will)
*Create the lobby display
*Love the work

Test post

This is a post. Over?