"So, what exactly is a dramaturg?"
I like to think of dramaturgy as the process of asking compelling questions. What kind of questions are offered by the script? What questions can we ask as collaborators and artists to open up the world of this play?
Although each dramaturgical project includes new challenges, pathways, and components, I embrace thoughtful analysis and theoretical rigor throughout my creative process. This typically includes gathering and synthesizing research tools for the cast and creative team throughout the rehearsal process and assisting in developing materials for audiences to engage the production.
Selected Production Dramaturgy Credits
2025: The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe, Dorethe Tucker Theatre, MTSU Department of Theatre and Dance, dir. Lauren Shouse (assisted by Patrick Jones)
2025: Our Town by Thornton Wilder, Dorethe Tucker Theatre, MTSU Department of Theatre and Dance, dir. Lauren Shouse
2023: The Oresteia by Ellen McLaughlin, Floyd and Dolores Jones Playhouse, UW School of Drama, dir. Amanda Rountree
2021: The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, Floyd and Dolores Jones Playhouse, UW School of Drama, dir. Kelly Kitchens
2019: An Evening with Two Awful Men by Elaine Jarvik, Rose Wagner Theatre, Plan-B Theatre Company, dir. Cheryl Cluff
2018: The Lion in Winter by James Goldman, Pioneer Theatre Company, dir. Wes Grantom
2018: The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe, Salt Lake Acting Company, dir. Alexandra Harbold
2017: Eclipsed by Danai Gurira, Studio 115, Univ. of Utah Department of Theatre, dir. Stephanie Weeks
2016: Self Defense, or Death of Some Salesmen by Carson Krietzer, Studio 115, Univ. of Utah Department of Theatre, dir. Alexandra Harbold
2015: American Idiot by Billie Joe Armstrong and Michael Mayer, Marriott Center for Dance, Univ. of Utah Department of Theatre, dir. Denny Berry
2015: School for Lies by David Ives, Studio 115, Univ. of Utah Department of Theatre, dir. Christopher DuVal
Dramaturgical Outreach
Production dramaturgy tends to offer unique opportunities to develop community outreach.
Within this capacity, I have moderated post-show conversations (also known as "talkbacks") for various productions, and have organized panels with experts to engage discussion based on material in the production.
Assistant Moderator, Post-Show Discussion, The Wolves, Middle Tennessee State University, October 2025
Moderator, Post-Show Discussion, Our Town, Middle Tennessee State University, February 2025
Assistant Moderator, Post-Show Discussion, Eurydice, Middle Tennessee State University, September 2024
Panelist, Post-Show Panel Event, The Oresteia, University of Washington School of Drama, March 2023
Moderator, Post-Show Discussion, The Wolves, Salt Lake Acting Company, October 2018
Panel Moderator, "Barbie Dolls and Soccer Balls: External Expressions of Femininity and How We Internalize Them," Salt Lake Acting Company, November 2018
Panel Moderator, "Violence, Gender, and Queer Identity in Self Defense," Studio 115, October 2016.
Photo of performers Monica Goff, Kelsey June Jensen, and Katryna Williams, photo by C. Heiner
Selected New Work Development
Ongoing:
Script Evaluator, Core Writer Program/Core Apprentice Program, Playwright's Center of Minneapolis (2022 - Present)
2019:
Donna by Jennifer Nii, preparation/rehearsal for public staged reading
2018:
Balthazar by Deborah Threedy, preparation/rehearsal for public staged reading
2019:
An Evening with Two Awful Men by Elaine Jarvik, world premier production
2017:
Adrift by Harper Pulsipher, workshop and staged reading
On the Subject of Tinder by Daniel Amsel, workshop and staged reading
Generations by Alex Coltrin, workshop and staged reading
La Maldición de San Simón by Wesley Mathis, workshop and staged reading
2016:
Let Down Your Hair by Matthew Ivan Bennett, workshop and staged reading
The Two Noble Kinsmen translation by Tim Slover in conjunction with Oregon Shakespeare Festival's Play On! Project, workshops (Salt Lake and Minneapolis) and staged reading (Salt Lake)