dramaturgy
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dramaturgy
First recorded in 1795–1805; from Greek drāmatourgía “dramatic composition,” equivalent to drāmaturg(ós) “playwright” + -ia -y 3; see dramatic, -urgy
Explanation
Dramaturgy is the process and art of writing and staging a play. Your little brother's preschool production of "The Three Little Pigs" might not be an example of excellent dramaturgy, but it is adorable. Playwrights, theater directors, and drama teachers are the most likely to throw around the term dramaturgy. It encompasses everything that's involved in creating a play and producing it on an actual stage for an audience to watch. Dramaturgy is especially focused on the play's setting, social context, political themes, and the psychology of its characters. The word itself comes from Greek roots drama and ergon, "work or activity."
Vocabulary lists containing dramaturgy
Curtain Call: Dance and Theater Terms
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Drama Terminology
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Reading: Literature - Drama - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Through an alchemical synthesis of music, text and dramaturgy, the audience is immersed in the deepest feelings of its characters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026
The Broadway revival of “Three Days of Rain,” not being as confidently performed, revealed a common frailty in Greenberg’s dramaturgy — the tendency toward structural abstraction.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2025
Professor Fuchs specialized in dramaturgy, or the construction of a play, including its dramatic structure, its characters’ motivations and technical issues about set design and lighting.
From New York Times ● Jun. 18, 2024
You could start with Mumford’s dramaturgy report: 88 pages!
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 12, 2024
I spot Simon's family near the dramaturgy display, doubled up on bouquets.
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
