Dramaturgical Research & Positioning Document

Dramaturgy and Positioning

Two services for independent theatre productions: a Positioning Memo that articulates what the show is doing and who it's for, and Dramaturgical Research on the script, source material, and production history.

The Positioning Memo is the foundation document every downstream service in the catalogue references.

Positioning Memo — $150

A written document produced from a single working session with the director and producer.

Pay-what-you-can pricing is available with a floor of $60 for productions in genuine financial hardship.

Intake

A short submission form before the session, covering:

• Working title
• Draft synopsis (one paragraph, however rough)
• Creative team and their roles
• Intended venue and dates
• The most unresolved question the production team currently has about the show

Process

A 75-minute working session with the director and producer, structured in three movements:

1. Descriptive — what is literally happening in the text and on stage
2. Diagnostic — what the production is doing that the script alone cannot say
3. Generative — producing working language testable in audition notices and front-of-house copy

After the session, a 48-hour synthesis window, then one round of notes from the production team.

Deliverables

One document, schema:

• show-statement — single paragraph, the production in its own terms
• audience-map — three to five concentric audience rings, each named
• unmet-need — the social, political, or psychological need the production addresses
• aesthetic-promise — the kind of encounter being offered
• messaging-spine:
  • one-line-hook
  • short-blurb — ≤60 words
  • long-blurb — 150–250 words
• tagline-bank — three to five variations
• risk-register (optional) — language to avoid; press sensitivities

Delivered as a working document (Google Doc or Markdown).

Dramaturgical Research — included

Written research on the play, the playwright, the source material, the production history, and the intellectual context.

Intake

A separate scoping form specifying:

• Scope — which combination of: the play itself, the playwright, the source material, production history, political/theoretical context
• Depth — a working memo for the rehearsal room, or a long-form essay suitable for programme inclusion and the show archive

Process

Scoped per engagement at the hourly rate.

Typical scopes:

OutputHoursIndicative cost5-page rehearsal-room reference6–8 hrs$480–$64010–15 page essay14–18 hrs$1,120–$1,44020-page programme essay20–30 hrs$1,600–$2,400

Hourly rate is $80 at 2026 introductory pricing.

Deliverables

Scope-dependent schema. A typical full engagement includes:

• the-play — close reading; structural, thematic, and formal analysis
• the-playwright — biographical and bibliographical context
• the-source-material (for adaptations) — source text, history, prior adaptations
• production-history — major prior productions, critical reception, dramaturgical traditions
• political-and-theoretical-context
• further-reading — annotated bibliography

Delivered with full citations. Suitable for inclusion in the programme, the show archive, and the company's working dramaturgy file.

Out of scope

• Brand identity work — no logo, typeface, or colour palette
• Script editing or notes on draft scripts
• New-play development
• Director's notes — the director writes those; editing available under a separate engagement

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