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4th Wall Dramaturgy

Shelley Graham

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Moving to the Cherry Orchard

By Shelley Graham
March 20, 2025 08:14 PM
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.
1 Min Read
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“That’s How Things Are”: The Weight of Waiting in The Cherry Orchard

By Shelley Graham
March 20, 2025 03:10 PM
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.”
2 Min Read
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Study Guide for The Cherry Orchard

By Shelley Graham
March 11, 2025 10:53 AM
For this production we are trying something new! You'll still see some dramaturgical information in your printed program, including the dramaturg's note, "The Weight of Waiting in The Cherry Orchard."
1 Min Read
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Ten Interesting Facts about The Cherry Orchard

By Shelley Graham
February 25, 2025 07:50 PM
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.
2 Min Read
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Alabama Story: Educational Resources

By Shelley Graham
February 25, 2025 01:55 PM
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.
1 Min Read
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Book of Will: Educational Resources

By Shelley Graham
February 25, 2025 01:29 PM
The Contemporary Voices Play Festival at BYU celebrates award winning plays and playwrights whose work we think our audiences and students should know. These plays present an opportunity to think deeply and explore the art and the language of theatre.
1 Min Read
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A Swing for the Supernatural

By Shelley Graham
May 28, 2024 09:16 PM
If you will see, or have seen, the BYU Theatre production of Blithe Spirit this June, you may notice that there are two names in the cast list who are not given a character role, but simply the role of “Swing.” Just what is a swing, and why are they important for a production? As dramaturg, I interviewed our two swing actors to get their perspectives - and definitions - of this important role.
3 Min Read
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Sor Juana in Poetry and Letters

By Shelley Graham
March 07, 2024 05:32 PM
Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz has sometimes been called "The Phoenix of America," as she is by far the most accomplished and globally read author to come out of the early Spanish-colonized Americas. Writing from New Spain (present day Mexico) , Sor Juana composed brilliant and biting poetry, wrote fiery letters in defense of her own creative spirit and the education of women, as well as dramas like the perfectly formed Spanish Golden Age style piece, House of Desires.
3 Min Read
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The Jesus Christ of Godspell: Forums with BYU Religious Scholars

By Shelley Graham
March 13, 2023 09:58 PM
Dramaturgs Darci Ramirez and Andrew Elijah Schindler invited scholars from the BYU Region Department to join us in discussions about the Jesus Christ of Godspell. Multiple similar forums will be held in connection with this production.
1 Min Read
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