Though our mothers or female relatives might be able to tell us about popular fashion, food and cars during the 1960s, few of us could describe ’60s trends with expert knowledge.
MU junior Kayla Flint is the exception. She knows what a Buck Riviera is and can give anyone who asks a pretty accurate description of life along the coast in a 1960s Maryland town. Kayla was the dramaturg for MU’s production of How I Learned to Drive, which takes place in the 1960s. Her in-depth research for the show gave her modern-day recognition on a national scale.
Kayla received the National Dramaturgy Fellowship at the regional Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in Ames, Iowa, in January. Because of this honor, Kayla will travel to Washington, D.C., this month for the National Kennedy Center Festival. There, she will compete with other regional dramaturgy winners for the chance to have a summer internship at the O’Neill Theatre Center in Connecticut. Her Campus Mizzou talked to Kayla about what it takes to be a dramaturg and how she is preparing for the competition in D.C.
Her Campus Mizzou: How long have you been involved in theatre?
Kayla Flint: Besides one musical I was in during elementary school, I’ve been in theatre for two and a half years.
HCM: Can you tell us a little about dramaturgy?
KF: It’s very hard to define. Dramaturgy is all of the elements of a play, including the art of playwriting and producing a play. A dramaturg is a person who works mostly on development and research to aid the production team in the creation of a play. A dramaturg is also responsible for educating the production team, actors, director and audience members about the world of the play.
HCM: How long does a display take to create?
KF: The display itself doesn’t take any more time to create than it takes to mount information on a piece of foam board or dress a dress form or create a slide show. What takes the most time and effort is the research that comes weeks, even months, before the production starts and the show begins. A dramaturg and the director work together on researching and preparing for a show from the time the show is picked to be in the company’s season. How I Learned to Drive opened in late October, but I started my research in July.
HCM: What are your main sources for information?
KF: For zeitgeist information about the “spirit of the time period”, I looked at a lot of history of the 1960s, information on the cars mentioned in the play, and at suburban and rural Maryland, both online and in print. For the main themes of the play, I consulted medical and psychological journals and reference guides. I also looked at various print and digital sources to learn more about the playwright, Paula Vogel, [such as] reviews and criticisms and scholarship and academic writing on the play.
HCM: What was your display focused on?
KF: Because Corner Playhouse has a small lobby space, I tried to make sure that I kept my information as brief as possible. I focused on abbreviated versions of the information presented in the information packet I created. [I included] information on the playwright, past productions, zeitgeist and main themes.
HCM: Did you choose to focus on this show, or was it assigned to you?
KF: A little of both. It wasn’t necessarily assigned to me, but the director proposed that I work on the show, and I accepted.
HCM: What’s the most exciting part about creating a display?
KF: Seeing people responding to the information you have given them, whether it was in the lobby display, the study guide, PowerPoint presentations, or in just the show itself, is really exciting. I hope they learned something.
HCM: What’s the hardest part about dramaturgy?
KF: Working and researching the play isn’t necessarily hard,; it’s just time-consuming. You have to devote blocks of uninterrupted time to the task.
HCM: What will you do in D.C.?
KF: I’m not sure what to expect. Andy Pierce, the national dramaturgy fellow from the last two years, says it’s a discussion-based atmosphere; people want to hear you talk about your project. I expect I will attend some dramaturgy workshops and compare notes with the other regional fellows.
HCM: What have you learned about yourself from this experience?
KF: I guess I learned that I do have what it takes to be a theatre professional and that theatre really is my calling. I just love it!
HCM: What’s your favorite aspect of theatre?
KF: As much as I love dramaturgy and playwriting, I have to admit, nothing beats the rehearsal process. Whether as a dramaturg, actor, director or stage manager, I love being in the rehearsal space watching a play come to life, from words on a page to people whose trials and tribulations we genuinely care about. It’s why I love theatre so much. It’s living, breathing art.
HCM: What do you hope to do with theatre in the future?
KF: I don’t really know. Probably something related to dramaturgy or playwriting. I also enjoy directing, so I may dabble in that. I think eventually I would like to teach and go into scholarly theatre. Luckily, I have another year of undergrad and about six years of graduate school to figure it out.