The Post Dramatic: a How To Guide

(as inspired by Gob Squad, Remote Mitte, Dramaturgy, Hamlet, etc...)

1. Feel the space. What does it say to you? What does it want?
What can you do with it? Think about what sorts of performances would fit in this space and what would not work in the space. Mess with it. Look at it upside down. An empty space is not an empty space if you mess with it. A car park is not just a car park. A stairwell is more than just a stairwell. Use the uniqueness to your performative advantage.
2. It’s PERFORMANCE ART, not THEATER. It’s an ACTIVE EXPERIENCE not a PASSIVE EXPERIENCE. It’s FOR EVERYONE, not just MILLENIALS INTELLECTUALS HIPSTERS OLD PEOPLE KIDS GROWN UPS THEATER PEOPLE. ya know?
3. consider your audience. how can you include them in your event? can they be actors? can they actively be involved? do they just sit there? do they move through the space? how much agency do they have? what do you want them to take away from this? is it okay for them to be confused? what should they feel? can you shock them? how do you engage them? who do you want your audience to be? don’t spoon feed them at all costs.
4. fuck the text. throw it out the window. what can you do without a text? what can you come up with? not everything needs to be a script. D E V I S E D  W O R K
5. music. an aural landscape is key. sound tells a story. what songs can you use? what sounds can you use? what sounds make up a song? music can be it’s own form of dialogue. a dialogue with the audience, with the space, with the performance. use it for transitions. use it to underscore scenes. fuck, use it wherever you want to emphasize things.
13. AbAnDoN sEnSe. LeAvE jUdGeMeNt aT tHe DoOr. Be OpEn.
7. Use technology. Really take advantage of it. Video. Mics. Headphones. How can you use it to serve you, the story, the experience? Can it enhance it?
8. $$$$$$$$. Get ready to not make any for awhile. If you love this you’ll find a way.
9. Know your theory. But also screw the theory. Just do it.
10. Research is key. Bring in anything for inspiration. You never know what could spake your next show. Look everywhere for source material. Books. Youtube. Music. Everyday life. A smell. Music. That really good currywurst you just had on the street to work. Literally anything.
11. don’t take it so seriously. have fun. experiment. accept that sometimes things work work. things are always in flux and in process. take risks. do the unexpected.