Dramaturgy Papers
Dramaturgy Papers
Dramaturgy Papers
nominees
Twenty-five dramaturgs were nominated for the dramaturgs' network's inaugural Fellowship by their peers.
Although the judges made an initial shortlist of six, they were keen to recognise the passion and gratitude expressed in every nomination. We've decided to celebrate all of the nominees here (in alphabetical order) with an anonymous quote from one of their nominations, along with the winner, Flo Dessau, and our five shortlisted dramaturgs.
We encourage you to seek out their work!
Ariella Como Stoian
"Ariella is an immensely skilled and dedicated dramaturg supporting fellow writers on new plays or developing existing pieces, as well as delving deep into the intricate worlds and characters of their own work. Ariella has used their imagination and astute understanding of dramaturgy to innovate. Their collaborative approach has resulted in deeply empathetic explorations of interactive, multi-disciplinary, and experimental theatrical mediums."
Beth Wilson
"Her dedication towards championing and supporting emerging writers with focused, close reading and informative, innovative feedback where she demonstrates her expertise surrounding the creation of a firm structure with believable characters is unmatched."
Clodagh Chapman
"Their work with young people, neurodivergent, disabled and queer groups is led with great thought, care and empathy, and the quality of her work is second to none. They are a calming, organised and passionate presence in the room, who is extremely talented at holding the many moving parts of a project, and knowing when to prioritise certain areas or shift focus to the next."
Courtney Smith
"Courtney is a fantastic and passionate theatre maker. She is in the early stages of her career as a dramaturg and is already doing some fantastic work. She cares deeply about portraying voices of those whose voices struggle to be heard."
Fatima Serghini
"She is poised to continue making significant impacts in the field of dramaturgy, particularly in new writing. Her work reflects a deep understanding of dramaturgy and a passion for pushing the boundaries of creative storytelling."
Flo Dessau
"She is always able to see what makes a good play work and, more importantly, what makes a good play better. Her understanding of text is, in this sense, rather magical."
Hannah Donelon
"Hannah is an incredible, generous artist with a commitment to supporting the work of individuals facing barriers. Hannah always inspires and challenges artists to be more open minded and inclusive with their thinking and project planning."
JD Stewart
"The amount of time and attention he gives to my work even to this day, regardless of what stage it’s at, is beyond generous, and the conversations we have are always deeply insightful. Their dramaturgy is invaluable and has been incredibly beneficial to artists."
Jen McGregor
"She is a fantastic dramaturg that really pushes the boundaries of creativity while expertly maintaining everyone else’s boundaries and making creatives feel safe to really explore and push themselves."
Jessica Edwards
"In placing radical care at the centre of her practice, she exuded kindness and confidence from her first engagement with the writers. She has been particularly astute in pushing the writers to find emotional truth and appropriate tone in text, song, and performance through song."
Joe Douglas
"Whether the subject is politics, disability or community experience, he has always understood how to centre the material and the voice of the writer while allowing the primacy of narrative to lead the spectator experience."
JP Conaghan
"JP's multifaceted approach to theatre production, as demonstrated by his dual roles as director and production dramaturg, highlights his innovative vision and dedication to collaboration. His devising approach, which involves working closely with new local artists from composition to illustration, promises to deliver a production that is both ingenious and inspiring."
Julia Samuels
"Julia is brilliant at working with so many different types of people, asking the right questions, providing balanced challenge and just facilitating a really caring environment to create work in. Julia handles work sensitively, respectfully and you genuinely feel like she's on your side."
Kate Golledge
"Kate has been a visionary with typical dramaturgical support but also well versed in physical dramaturgical support too. She is kind, compassionate, knows how to give notes, has fantastic ideas and thoughts and is a joy to be around. She just has the knack of giving the right note at the right time, and delivered in such a way that you actually want to act on it."
Lavinia Serban
"Lavinia is a brilliant dramaturg, with a rigorous, imaginative and collaborative practice. Lavinia approaches each text with a detailed consideration of its historical and political context, balancing this assessment with an exploration into its relevance to an audience today. Lavinia always brought a sharp consideration of the specific cultural gaze within a piece."
Matthew Short
"His dramaturgical perspective allows us to represent our Perthshire communities with sensitivity and vitality, ensuring that we are engaging with writers who might fall through the gaps at a national level."
Oonagh Johnson
"She has an intuitive approach to text and a natural gift for collaboration. She has a subtle gift of being both unobtrusive in the creative process, and massively impactful on the final piece."
Pamela Farrugia
"Not only is she one of the hardest working people I’ve met in the industry, she’s also incredibly kind, resourceful and dedicated. Known for her tireless work ethic, she is deeply committed to her craft and pursues her passion with unwavering determination."
Rio Matchett
"I repeatedly hear from artists that she’s working to challenge the presumed structures and hierarchies of the writing/theatre/dramaturgical process, decolonising hegemonic metrics of success and supporting writers to overcome a wide range of barriers. A true gem of a human."
Robbie Nestor
"Often in feedback following his Readers' Room session, the writers praised this care, citing his attention to detail, patience, and willingness to question the work towards its best form. Robbie's ability to create a safe and nurturing environment for playwrights let them experiment and grow exponentially, always while knowing they have a dedicated advocate in their corner."
Sabrina Richmond
"Sabrina Richmond is an excellent, bold holistic dramaturg. We felt incredibly held by Sabrina and trusted their questions, provocations and gentle pushes to encourage us to be bold and brave with our work."
Sam Pout
"He is a talented dramaturg providing strong feedback with generosity and kindness. He learns quickly and remains reflexive about his role and position."
Sam Redway
"He's a gifted and selfless dramaturg with an incredible knowledge of dramaturgical technique and brilliant way of working."
Sammy Glover
"They are keenly insightful and provided an unwavering belief in the work. Their approach to the collaborative making process is a remarkable blend of intuitive, rigorous, and good-humoured."
Stephen Bailey
"Stephen's a tireless dramaturg, opening creative possibilities up and interrogating the text with playfulness& insight. Stephen has made a significant contribution to dramaturgy & to the development of a radical new aesthetics of accessibility."
words from the judges
We felt the nominated dramaturgs contributed hugely to supporting the diversity of stories, ‘voices’, and cultures which reach our stages - including queer, crip’, working class and non-Western perspectives, which enriches the scene for everyone. Unanimously they generously gave (often without pay) their support and expertise to all, significantly to the historically excluded and marginalised, making a massive impact now and into the future.
Kaite O'Reilly (judge)
We were excited to receive so many nominations and that a range of artists recognise the valuable contribution that the role of dramaturg can make to the creation of theatre. Nominations came in for dramaturgs working in new writing, classics, musicals, dance, children’s theatre, community work, devised work and opera - and the passion and gratitude expressed in those nominations demonstrated the importance and impact of dramaturgy.
It was an honour and privilege to read and consider these nominations. Dramaturgy is growing in the UK, being recognised for the invaluable support it gives to the process of making theatre and this Fellowship allows us to look to the future with excitement and respect for the dramaturgs emerging today.
Suzanne Bell (judge)
d'n Fellowship event
Flo Dessau, the winner of the 2024 d'n Fellowship, has collaborated with members of the d’n board to shape a celebratory public gathering, which will take place from 6–8pm on Tuesday 26 November, at the Unicorn Theatre, London SE1. The event will be centred around a long table discussion of dramaturgies of translation, open to all.
For more information and to book your free ticket, see below.
The d'n Fellowship is currently the only award in the United Kingdom that is given to a dramaturg.
In recognition of the central role of dramaturgy to theatre and performance activity in the UK, we invite donations to help cover the costs of the award and the live event. We welcome donations big and small!
With thanks to our generous sponsors, including David Hare and Nick Hern Books
