Theater is a demanding art form.  It's something you can get a lot out of, but usually only to the extent that you're willing to an effort put in. Certainly many plays are accessible, but once you step back a generation or a century or more - these days a decade seem s a long time - you're likely to miss some of the language, if not the context.  Even contemporary plays carry their share of cultural confusion (race, gender, ethnicity, etc.). That's why you really have to applaud the efforts of a number of companies to help with the heavy lifting - to prepare you in advance or follow-up and enhance your theatergoing experience. 

Tops in the DC area are the Shakespeare Theatre Company (www.shakespearetheatre.org) and the Arena Stage (www.arenastage.org), both with outstanding websites.  STC provides their program online, as well as a synopsis of the play, and offers open rehearsals, a "window" into each production, and a closing forum.  Their "Asides" newsletter (mailed out) gives an advance look at a show in hardcopy.  Arena takes a dramaturgical approach, supplying useful information about each play in context as well as an online program.  They also offer audience discussion nights to supplement the work at various times during the run.  And just recently they've instituted a behind the scenes, page-to-stage series, to cover new works from first read through to opening night also known as "Theater 101." 

Coming on strong is the revamped Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company website (www.woollymammoth.net), which posts the program notes, includes theater events listing, has interactive features, and includes a number of podcasts (with free download of iTunes).  

Out of town, my favorite site is the Wilma Theatre's (www.wilmatheater.org) in Philadelphia, with YouTube videos, essays, and informative user guides prepared by their own resident dramaturg.  Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre (www.picttheatre.org) also helps the theatergoer hit the ground running by making their program guides available to patrons via download from their website.  The last one, for the Pinter Festival, was a reference source in its own right, with an introductory essay, six scholarly articles covering each of the plays, and a Pinter timeline. 

Honorable mention goes to the Studio Theater (www.studiotheatre.org), The American Century Theater (www.americancentury.org), and the Pittsburgh Public Theater (www.ppt.org).  The Studio offers nice snippets in their online program taken from their excellent study guide (available for a small price).  TACT provides a very informative podcast prior to each show as well an audience guide prepared by the artistic director (past productions are available for download; ongoing guides are free to subscribers and for a small charge to others at the box office).  PPT mails out their PUBLICation several times a season, with articles covering the next two upcoming shows.  You can sign up to receive it online, via their e-newsletter.  Studio and TACT sell scripts for ongoing shows, while PPT offers theirs for previous productions.

For the future, I envision more companies following these forward-looking venues, providing their audience with an increasing wealth of information to make the most of their experience and, one hopes, a life-long love of the art form.  Who knows, one day we may see not only online dramaturgy, but on-site dramaturgy, with pre-show lectures, Q & A, and post-show discussions with each performance.  Now that's a grant application just waiting to be written!

© John F. Glass August 30, 2010 - All rights reserved