The Death of the Author

Today in Dramaturgy we examined an aspect of post-dramatic theory - the misreading of texts and Müller's concept of fragmentation. It was a really strange day. The class is a composite of directors, dramaturgs, and playwrights but the whole focus of the presentation was 'the death of the author'.

As a playwright I found this really confronting. I found myself wondering how the VCA can reconcile running a Masters in Writing for Performance alongside delivering Masters in Directing where the basis of the training for the directors is the disrespect and devaluation of the role and participation of the writer. It is even more confusing when we are all supposed to work together in collaboration later in the year.

I can't figure out if there is a deliberate intention to disempower the playwrights, or if they really are not aware they are doing it. We did also have a lecture earlier in the week on Writing for New Performance during which we were told how unfair it was in the 70's in Melbourne because 'all the power was with the writers and actors' which does suggest a very old agenda at play.

We have already been told that an entirely new training program will be implemented in 2017 and the Theatre School building is undergoing the first phase of a two year refurbishment program, but details are hard to come by. I have a suspicion that there is going to be some sort of move into turning the school into a collaborative training lab based on this idea of fragmented dramaturgy and the priority of the director in the creative process.

There was mention that the VCA was attempting to once more be a leader in performance making and training, but if my suspicions are correct I think they are about to step back 40 years in time rather than moving into the future.

The whole thing has the smell of some of the objectives of the Pram Factory peeps, which was fine and revolutionary back then, but has been done now. I think the question the VCA should be asking is what comes after post-dramatic theory, not how to keep it alive - not if they want to stay ahead of the bell curve.

There are other things they need to consider as well including the ephemerality of post-dramatic theatre and live art and how that can possibly contribute to a sustainable cultural identity or even maintain relevance past its original life cycle. We don't remember the directors of 500 years ago because their work doesn't live past the moment in time it is in performance. What we still have with us is the writing. That is how we know the past and how that demonstrates our humanity and history and cultures.

In the end, they will do what they want to do regardless of my thoughts and opinions. I just hope they stop devaluing me and my work as they go about it.