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4th Wall Dramaturgy
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Welcome to the 4th WALL

September 10, 2012 12:00 AM
Janine Sobeck

by Janine Sobeck, BYU Dramaturgy Specialist As a dramaturg, one of the best parts of the the job is when you get to open up the world of the production to the audience.  Whether its historical context, insider information from the rehearsal room, or conversations with the creative team (and so much more), we love to give you everything you need to have a fully enriched - and extremely enjoyable - evening at the theatre. Here at Brigham Young University, the dramaturgs are exploring all the possible ways to do this very thing.  While you may have already seen us in the program study guides or moderating post show discussions, we are now happy take it one step forward by introducing "The 4th Wall: the TMA dramaturgY project." Here on the 4th Wall you will see posts from dramaturgs, playwrights, production team members and more.  The goal is simple: to provide new insights, perspectives and information about the theatre productions on the BYU stage.  Whether you are interested in one particular show or want to learn about the whole season, we invite you to follow along as we take you inside the world of each and every production. So to all our audience members (and any other interested parties), we say, "Welcome to the 4th Wall."  It's going to be a grand journey.

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A Letter from the Luna Dramaturg

October 15, 2021 12:00 AM
by Darci Ramirez, dramaturg Dear Audience Members and Fellow Stars, Luna is able to take cosmic themes and tell them in a single, simple story for people who are looking for a reason to believe in their dreams and find friendship. But that doesn’t mean that the heavier themes are missed by younger audiences.. Need, loss, loneliness and sacrifice are all shown throughout this play. It’s important to recognize that the ending isn’t perfect; Mama and Papa are separated from Soledad and Luna’s relationship with Soledad is still tender and hurt. We don’t know what the future holds for Mama and Papa, who are still continuing to work in an industry that is hard and, sometimes, unfair. But what makes Luna shine is the hope for tomorrow because of the big steps we’re willing to make today. Soledad takes risks to find friendship and believe in her dreams, even if it complicates her life. And taking risks doesn’t always mean success, because Soledad didn’t always succeed - but taking risks does mean that you’ll grow to be the sort of person that can succeed, can find your friends, and can reach the moon. This production is informed by where we are, as a community, and who we are as a creative team. Because a strong majority of migrant workers in Utah are Mexican, Mexican-American, or of Mexican descent, that has informed the world in which Soledad finds herself. You might even recognize the Utah mountains in the backdrop of the set! But, at the same time, Soledad is an outsider in this world. In order to show this, Soledad and her family carry with them Costa Rican traditions and designs - informed by the cultural background of our director, Kris Peterson. This production has also been touched by many other Latinx backgrounds and identities - my own included. These design and story choices are expressions of our stories and experiences, but it doesn’t encompass all experiences. Luna isn’t just Mexican, Costa Rican, Guatemalan or Brazilian - but it holds the hearts of people who are. Because of that, we’ve chosen to give parts of our cultures to a story that can apply to anyone who’s ever felt alone. That doesn't mean that we’re limiting who we are, or who our audience is, either! In the end, Soledad doesn’t have to sacrifice who she is in order to make connections - she loves her books and astronomy, but learns to love fashion and food, too! In the same way, we can relate to the experiences of other people and celebrate what makes us unique.
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2021-2022 Season

Filming Day for Turn of the Screw

August 28, 2021 04:27 PM
by Makenna Johnston, dramaturg “Pay no attention to the [film crew] behind the [fire] curtain.”
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2021-2022 Season

Post Mortem Photography

April 20, 2021 12:49 PM
by Makenna Johnston, dramaturg As you can see in The Turn of the Screw, the Victorian era was shrouded in death. Complications from industrialization, as well as high disease and infection rates, caused high mortality rates, especially in younger demographics. Because of this, the living found comfort in one of the most fascinating mourning practices of the Victorian era: post-mortem photography. Due to the high cost of photography during the Victorian era, post-mortem photographs were often the first, and only, photographs families had taken of their loved ones. The mourning would commission a daguerreotype or a photograph taken by a long-exposure camera. Long exposures when taking photographs meant that the dead were often seen more sharply than the slightly-blurred living, because of their lack of movement. The dead were carefully posed to appear as if they were still alive. Some deceased were propped against stands or furniture while others were surrounded by their family members or favorite toys. Once the daguerreotype photographs finished developing, some photographers would paint eyes or add blush to the finished photograph to make the deceased appear more lifelike. Below are more examples of post-mortem photography. How do you choose to remember those who have passed on? Sources: Bell, Bethan. “Taken from Life: The Unsettling Art of Death Photography.” BBC News, BBC, 4 June 2016, www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-36389581. Diaries, Ghost, et al. “Memento Mori: The Macabre Victorian Art of Death Photography.” The Occult Museum, 16 May 2017, www.theoccultmuseum.com/memento-mori-macabre-victorian-art-death-photography/. Leahabaza. “Picturing the Dead: Victorian-Era Mourning and Post-Mortem Photography.” Woodland Cemetery History, 20 Aug. 2018, woodlandcemeteryhistory.wordpress.com/2018/08/20/picturing-the-dead-victorian-era-mourning-and-post-mortem-photography/.
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