4th Wall Dramaturgy
Learn more about any of the shows in our current or past seasons by clicking the links below.
Current BYU Theatre Season
Click on any of the shows below to learn more about the world of the play from our student dramaturgs
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Recent Articles
See the most recent articles written by dramaturgs for the BYU Theatre Season
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Contextual Resources for The Cherry Orchard
The creative team began working on this production a little more than a year ago. In my role as production dramaturg, I was happy to create a website of resources first for the creative team, and then when we went into rehearsals, for the cast. And now that we are opening the show, the resources offer valuable perspectives to our audiences as well.
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Moving to the Cherry Orchard
After months of rehearsing on a taped cement floor with acting blocks in place of benches and frames in place of doors, the company finally moves to the theatre space, to a stage with levels and furniture, working doors and chairs out in the audience. The beloved cherry orchard feels so much more real now.
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“That’s How Things Are”: The Weight of Waiting in The Cherry Orchard
Near the end of his life, Anton Chekhov who had suffered from tuberculosis and depression throughout his life, decided to move to the seaside town of Yalta in order to heal. On January 18, 1904, he wrote to his wife, the actress Olga Knipper, “I’m writing The Cherry Orchard very slowly. Sometimes I feel it’s a success, sometimes a failure…It’s all very ordinary, but that’s how things are, unfortunately.”
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The Story Behind Alabama Story
Alabama Story, playwright Kenneth Jones’ six-actor, one-set drama about censorship, book banning, Civil Rights and American characters in “the Deep South of the imagination,” had its world premiere by Pioneer Theatre Company in Salt Lake City, Utah in January of 2015.
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Ten Interesting Facts about The Cherry Orchard
One of the wonderful things about being a dramaturg is discovering interesting bits of information here and there about the play and the playwright. These are often things that never make themselves visible in the production, but offer fascinating insights nonetheless. Here are ten of those interesting facts we've learned about Chekhov and The Cherry Orchard.
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Alabama Story: Educational Resources
As part of the Contemporary Voices Play Festival at BYU, Alabama Story is an example of an award winning playwright whose work we want our audiences and students to know. This play presents an opportunity to think deeply about censorship, racism, political power, and the importance of standing up for intellectual freedom.
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