I began my tenure as chair of the 2022 Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA) Conference during the early days of COVID. This was back when we thought we would have a vaccine in six months. That did not happen. As more live performances were cancelled, city streets became empty wastelands, and as spring dragged into summer, COVID gave us an opportunity to pause our activities and reflect on our processes. After talking to our members across the dramaturgical spectrum, we found that they prioritized access, rigorous conversation, and introduction to new practices. In addition, our members who do not identify specifically as dramaturgs but as artists who use dramaturgy in their practice wanted to have an opportunity to share more of their work.
So we decided to shape the 2022 conference around the theme “Performance Outside the Proscenium,” because while the dramaturg is often considered primarily a position in traditional, regional theatres, in reality dramaturgical work spans the entire universe of performance. We wanted to shake up and redefine the idea of what dramaturgy is, and can be, in today’s creative communities. While the majority of our activities would occur online, we did want to offer an in-person component to those who were ready to meet again. So we spent three days in July together enjoying Old City Philadelphia, creating and watching performances and sharing practice.
Theatre Philadelphia Executive Director LaNeshe Miller-White welcomes participants to Philly. (Photo by Kathryn Raines/Plate3Photography) 
Kelly Lee, chief cultural officer of the city of Philadelphia, welcomes participants to Philly. (Photo by Kathryn Raines/Plate3Photography) 
NEA Performing Arts Division Rep Ouida Maedel speaks on the importance of dramaturgy. (Photo by Kathryn Raines/Plate3Photography) 
Conference participants at welcome picnic. (Photo by Kathryn Raines/Plate3Photography) 
Conference participants at welcome picnic. (Photo by Kathryn Raines/Plate3Photography) 
Outgoing LMDA President Bryan Moore speaks at the annual general meeting. (Photo by Kathryn Raines/Plate3Photography) 
ASL interpreter Donna Ellis of Hands Up Productions interprets the opening session. (Photo by Kathryn Raines/Plate3Photography) 
Gavin Witt of Towson University leads an open space session. (Photo by Kathryn Raines/Plate3Photography) 
Daniel Park of the Obvious Agency discusses his company’s unique approach to theatre via gaming. (Photo by Kathryn Raines/Plate3Photography) 
Eric Einhorn and Katherine M. Carter of OnSite Opera lead a session on creating site-specific opera. (Photo by Kathryn Raines/Plate3Photography) 
Designer Christopher Ash lectures on the dramaturgy of design. (Photo by Kathryn Raines/Plate3Photography) 
Conference participants enjoy Jenna Horton’s interactive work “Image Nation a Tour.” (Photo by Kathryn Raines/Plate3Photography) 
Leila Ghaznavi, founder of Pantea Productions, leads an intereactive workshop on puppetry outside of children’s theatre. (Photo by Kathryn Raines/Plate3Photography) 
Educator and cabaret queen Jess Conda teaches a workshop on introducing youth to experimental theatre. (Photo by Kathryn Raines/Plate3Photography) 
Incoming LMDA President Lynde Rosario leads a strategy session. (Photo by Kathryn Raines/Plate3Photography) 
LMDA Vice President Karen Jean Martinson leads a conversation about the pros and cons of grad school. (Photo by Kathryn Raines/Plate3Photography) 
Tyrone Dancing Wolf Ellis of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation leads a session on integrating cultural performance and education. (Photo by Kathryn Raines/Plate3Photography) 
TS Hawkins leads a session about her project, Community Capital An Afrofurturism South Philly Walking Tour. (Photo by Kathryn Raines/Plate3Photography) 
LMDA board co-chair Jenna Rodgers facilitates a conversation on anti-oppression work in LMDA. (Photo by Kathryn Raines/Plate3Photography) 
Severin Blake and Rebecca Wright of Applied Mechanics lead a session on touring work. (Photo by Kathryn Raines/Plate3Photography) 
LMDA volunteer Jihye Kim at gala. (Photo by Kathryn Raines/Plate3Photography) 
Conference Gala at the Old Union Trust Bank. (Photo by Kathryn Raines/Plate3Photography)
Our conference asked participants to examine how space impacts the dramaturgy of the work, and how work lives, breathes, and evolves in different locations. For example, there were discussions regarding digital theatre, touring shows, cabaret, circus, online performance, outdoor theatre, site-specific work, burlesque, museum performance, installation performance, and more. The in-person conference hosted participants from the U.S., Mexico, Canada, and the U.K., while the digital conference spanned the globe including featured speakers from India, Pakistan, and Australia.
We were thrilled to see that artists, producers, and thought leaders were eager to engage and push the boundaries of what they consider to be the role of the dramaturg on the creative team and dramaturgy in general. LMDA left the conference with action steps to take to forward the field, and participants left with new friends, colleagues, ideas, and an enormous amount of Philly swag.
