Distance dramaturgy

Heddon, D. and Kelly, A. (2010) Distance dramaturgy. Performance Research, 20(2), pp. 214-220. (doi: 10.1080/10486801003682427)

Abstract

A correspondence and conversation between Dee Heddon and Alex Kelly. How do you tell a life? Throughout much of 2004 and into 2005 Dee Heddon and Alex Kelly corresponded by email: about auto/biographical performance, auto/biographical literature, Lad Lit, reading, writing, story telling and Third Angel’s performance making processes. This discussion was one strand of the making process of Third Angel’s performance The Lad Lit Project; a dramaturgy at a distance. Responding to research prompts from Alex – reading lists, notebook quotes, research and rehearsal room reports – Dee intervened with questions, provocations, opinions, suggestions for devising exercises. The personal, practical and theoretical intertwined. These interventions had a significant effect on the process and final show, helping Alex to move the work from a theatrical quoting of the Lad Lit genre, to become a performance work that is both autobiographical and about autobiography. For the creation of this text Dee and Alex return to their original correspondence, teasing out the significant strands and key exchanges, reflecting on carrying out dramaturgy at a distance, and discussing the impact of this process on the final performance. A document of quoted archive material (emails, notebook extracts) and discussion after the event.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Heddon, Professor Deirdre
• Authors: Heddon, D., and Kelly, A.
• College/School: College of Arts > School of Culture and Creative Arts > Theatre Film and TV Studies
• Journal Name: Performance Research
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• ISSN: 1352-8165
• ISSN (Online): 1477-2264
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2010 Taylor and Francis
• First Published: First published in Performance Research 20(2):214-220
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher