Theology of Authorship

AbstractStudying dramatic texts offers at least three obvious approaches: to hold a discussion with a group who have read the play; to mount a passive or active ‘classroom’ reading in which students read the parts; or to mount a production. This article proposes another way, a praxis involving (in this case) a text and its writer, a dramaturg, professional actors and a small audience. The focus of this praxis was the text of a new play called Bringing Home the Bacon. A workshop was held in which the actors read the play and it was then discussed by everyone present. This was a straightforward enough procedure, but it became rapidly clear that the scope of the workshop was enormous, taking in issues of dramaturgy, scenography, performance, reception and authorship. Having the author present meant that he, as well as the play's text and the actors, could be part of the process of interrogation.