The New Dramaturgs Group
The New Dramaturgs Group is a four-month training programme for artists local to Sheffield Theatres that want to develop skills and gain practical experiences with dramaturgy.
The group will meet weekly on Wednesday evenings between June 2024 and October 2024. We are looking for five artists to be part of the programme.
The 2024 New Dramaturgs Group will be led by co-mentors Alice Fitzgerald and Frey Kwa Hawking.
What do you get as part of the programme?
Four months of weekly training sessions
A £500 fee to support work and engagement as part of the programme
Training and experience in professional script reading and reporting
Training and experience as part of a residency selection panel
Opportunities to observe professional rehearsal rooms
Invitations to Sheffield Theatres productions and projects
About the Mentors
The 2024 New Dramaturgs Group will be led by co-mentors Alice Fitzgerald and Frey Kwa Hawking.
Alice Fitzgerald is a director and dramaturg, who works predominantly with new writing. She was resident dramaturg for the Maiden Speech Festival in 2019, and was nominated for Best Director at the 2022 Stage Debut Awards for her direction of Purple Snowflakes and Titty Wanks.
Frey Kwa Hawking is a dramaturg and critic. Having trained on the Royal Court's Script Panel, he is a Dramaturgs' Network board member, was Dramaturg Assistant for the Young Vic’s Neighbourhood Voices programme in 2020-21, and works with a number of theatres, companies and competitions.
“For me, dramaturgy is about asking questions. It’s about striving to understand the shape, texture and quality of the work the writer is sculpting, and how you can support them to realise this. It’s about simultaneously having a bird’s eye view of the landscape of the piece, whilst also having your feet firmly on the ground of the play.”
Alice Fitzgerald, New Dramaturgs Group 2024 Co-Mentor
“A dramaturg is a trusted co-conspirator, whose job it is to work out with the other creatives how to make a work more itself, more true, and what choices need to be made to express that. Flannery O'Connor talked about making sure a reader feels in their bones that "something is going on here that counts" - I think a dramaturg needs a good nose for what that something could be, to support it!”
Frey Kwa Hawking, New Dramaturgs Group 2024 Co-Mentor
Timeline and Key Dates
Timeline
- Tuesday, June 11, 2024 (Afternoon) - Induction Session
- Wednesday, June 19, 2024 (Evening) - Skills Session 1
- Wednesday, June 26, 2024 (Evening) - Skills Session 2
- Wednesday, July 3, 2024 (Evening) - Skills Session 3
- Wednesday, July 10, 2024 (Evening) - Skills Session 4
- Wednesday, July 17, 2024 (Evening) - Skills Session 5
- Wednesday, July 24, 2024 (Evening) - Skills Session 6
- Wednesday, July 31, 2024 - Full Day Engagement
- Wednesday, August 7, 2024 (Evening) - Skills Session 7
- Wednesday, August 14, 2024 (Evening) - Skills Session 8
- Wednesday, August 28, 2024 - Half-Day Engagement
- Wednesday, September 11, 2024 (Evening) - Skills Session 9
- Wednesday, September 18, 2024 (Evening) - Skills Session 10
- Wednesday, September 25, 2024 (Evening) - Skills Session 11
- Wednesday, October 2, 2024 (Evening) - Skills Session 12
- Wednesday, October 9, 2024 (Evening) - Skills Session 13
- Wednesday, October 16, 2024 (Evening) - Skills Session 14
- Wednesday, October 23, 2024 (Evening) - Evaluation Session
“I’m thrilled to be undertaking our second New Dramaturgs Group at Sheffield Theatres, especially alongside such an immense and varied upcoming season of work on our stages.
Excellence is an evergreen aim for both our on-stage and off-stage work; and at its core this is a project about excellence.
Dramaturgical training gives artists more developed toolkits to create varied and outstanding work. We’re extremely proud to be contributing to a future of excellent theatre in our region.”
Tommi Bryson, Talent Development Coordinator
Applications now open
Applications are open now and close at midnight on Sunday 5 May 2024.
Interviews will take place on Monday 20 May 2024 and Tuesday 21 May 2024.
Final offers will be made by the end of May.
The New Dramaturgs Group is made possible thanks to the generous support of Barbara Crossley.
We would like to thank The Dramaturgs Network for their support and expertise in the conception of this project. You can learn more about their work here.