dramaturgical

American  

[drah-muh-tur-ji-kuhl, dram-uh-] / ˌdrɑ məˈtɜr dʒɪ kəl, ˌdræm ə- /

Also dramaturgic

adjective

1. of or relating to playwriting or dramaturgy, the craft and techniques of dramatic composition.

   Group collaboration is one dramaturgical tool used by small theaters to write a play efficiently and quickly.

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Other Word Forms

• dramaturgically adverb

Etymology

Origin of dramaturgical

First recorded in 1830–40; dramaturg(e) ( def. ) + -ical ( def. )

Example Sentences

There’s also a more dramaturgical, meta reason for the loop, which follows a four chord structure throughout the piece, set in both 1851 and present day.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

And one of the biggest ones in regards to this in particular is that there was a dramaturgical department.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2024

As a dramaturgical device, it’s more prosaic than piquant, yet not entirely off brand for a woman whose mind was a perpetual motion machine.

From New York Times • Apr. 18, 2023

Which is a shame, because the musical, originally developed off-Broadway at Ars Nova, could use dramaturgical refinement.

From Washington Post • Dec. 4, 2022

There would have been no more solid value in the often amusing plays of Sardou, if he had not delighted in the ingenuity of his dramaturgical devices.

From Inquiries and Opinions by Matthews, Brander