Mark Bly

American dramaturge

Mark Bly

Born| 1949

Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States

Education| University of Minnesota (BA), Boston College (MA), Yale School of Drama (MFA)

Mark Bly (born 1949) is an American dramaturge, educator, and author. After graduating from Yale's Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism Program in 1980, Bly worked as a resident dramaturge – then a relatively new position in the United States.[1] He held this position for several of the country's major regional theaters: the Guthrie,[2] Yale Rep,[3] Seattle Rep,[4] Arena Stage, and the Alley.[5] He was the first dramaturge to receive a Broadway dramaturgy credit for his collaboration with director Emily Mann on her play Execution of Justice (1986),[6] During his career, Bly worked as a production dramaturge with a series of major theater artists including Doug Hughes,[7] Garland Wright,[8] Emily Mann and Moisés Kaufman,[9] as well as on the world premieres of works by playwrights Suzan-Lori Parks,[10] Sarah Ruhl[11] and Rajiv Joseph.[12]

In 1992, Bly returned to the Yale School of Drama to teach playwriting and dramaturgy.[13] As a teacher and author, he rejected narrow definitions of the dramaturge's role in the theatre-making process, arguing for dramaturgy as an active, open, and, most of all, deeply-informed application of "The Questioning Spirit" (i.e., commitment to "an environment where everyone is free to ask questions" and "curiosity is at a premium"[14]) to the creative process.[15][16][17][18]

In addition to editing and contributing to Yale Theater: American Production Dramaturgs (1986), a collection of interviews with the first generation of American dramaturges,[19] Bly assembled and edited two volumes of his Production Notebooks: Theater in Process (1996, 2001)[20][21] – the first set of dramaturgy case studies published in North America. Bly's later writings include New Dramaturgies: Strategies and Exercises for 21st Century Playwriting (2019),[22] a book detailing techniques for teaching playwriting created by Bly for his students at Yale.

Bly's production dramaturgy, teaching, and writing have led others to regard him as a major influence in the emergence of dramaturgy as a field and profession in contemporary American theater.[23][24][25][26]

## Life and career

[edit]

Born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Bly attended University of Minnesota (BA, 1973), Boston College (MA, 1977), and the Yale School of Drama (MFA, 1980).[27] As a resident dramaturge at the Guthrie Theater from 1981-1989,[28] Bly worked on many productions of classics, including Peer Gynt (1983, directed by Liviu Ciulei);[8][29] the Gorky-Gershwin musical Hang on to Me (1984, directed by Peter Sellars);[30] The Misanthrope (1987, directed by Garland Wright)[8][31] and Leon & Lena (and Lenz) (1987, directed by JoAnne Akalaitis).[32]

Following his tenure at the Guthrie, Bly worked on the dramaturgy for several world and American premieres of new plays, including director Dan Sullivan's world premiere of Herb Gardner's Conversations with My Father at Seattle Repertory Theatre (1991)[33] with Liz Diamond, the world premiere of Suzan-Lori Parks's The America Play at Yale Repertory Theatre (1994)[10] and The Public Theater (1994), and, with Molly Smith,[34] the world premiere of Sarah Ruhl's trilogy Passion Play, a Cycle at Arena Stage, Washington, DC (2005).[11] He served as Moisés Kaufman's dramaturge on the East Coast (Arena Stage, 2007) and West Coast (La Jolla Playhouse, 2008) world premieres of Kaufman's Beethoven-inspired 33 Variations, as well as for Kaufman's Broadway production of the same play starring Jane Fonda and Zach Grenier (2009).[35][36] For the Alley Theater in Houston, he served as director Rebecca Taichman's dramaturge for the world premiere production of Rajiv Joseph's Gruesome Playground Injuries (2009).[37]

In addition to his teaching, Bly chaired the MFA Playwriting Program (1992-2004) at Yale and, from 1992 to 1997, co-chaired its Dramaturgy program.[38] He was the board president for Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA) from 2000 to 2005.[39] With artistic director Gregg Henry, Bly, in 2011, co-founded the international Kennedy Center Dramaturgy Intensive Workshop in conjunction with the National New Play Network playwriting workshop.[40] From 2014 to 2017 he established and funded the LMDA Bly Creative Capacity Grant/Fellowship Awards to support international projects that advanced the practice of dramaturgy in innovative ways across disciplines.[41]

In 2010, Bly received the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas' (LMDA) Gotthold Ephraim Lessing Lifetime Achievement Award;[42] in 2019, he was awarded the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Medallion for Lifetime Excellence in Dramaturgy.[43]

## Awards and recognition

[edit]

Year | Awards and Recognition

|

2006 | Invited to be curator and moderator for panel discussion, "21st Century Issues in Playwriting" with Nilo Cruz, David Henry Hwang, Charles Randolph-Wright, and Karen Zacarias" at Georgetown University, December 5, 2006.[44]
2010 | Guest Keynote Speaker for David Edgar's 2010 Playwriting/Pedagogy International Conference the University of Birmingham. Participants included David Edgar, Jack Bradley (former Literary Manager of The National Theatre), and Maja Zade(Schaubühne Dramaturg) among others.[45]
2010 | LMDA Gotthold Ephraim Lessing Lifetime Achievement Award at Banff, Canada.[42]
2019 | Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Medallion for Lifetime Excellence in Dramaturgy.[43][46]
2023 | Investiture, College of Fellows of the American Theatre (est. 1965): Recognizing Distinguished Service to the Profession[47]

## Publications (Selected)

[edit]

Year | Title

|

1986 | "American Production Dramaturgs: An Introduction and Seven interviews," Mark Bly, Special Ed. Yale Theater. 17.3 (1986): 5-50 (Oskar Eustis, Russell Vandenbroucke, Martin Esslin, Anne Cattaneo, Arthur Ballet, Gitta Honegger, Richard Nelson, Mark Bly).[19]
1996 | Production Notebooks: Theatre in Process Vol. I. Edited with Introduction by Mark Bly. New York: Theater Communications Group, 1996.[20]
1997 | "Bristling with Multiple Possibilities" by Mark Bly. Dramaturgy in American Theater: A Source Book. Edited by Susan Jonas, Geoff Proehl, and Michael Lupu. Ft. Worth: Harcourt Brace, 1997.[48]
2001 | Production Notebooks: Theatre in Process, Vol. II. Edited with an introduction by Mark Bly. New York: Theater Communication Group, 2001.[21]
2002 | "The Americans: Mark Bly" an Interview by Lynn Thomson. Between the Lines: The Process of Dramaturgy. Toronto: Playwrights Canada Press, 2002.[49]
2009 | "Variations on an Obsession: As Moisés Kaufman Grapples with a Musical Mystery, His Dramaturg Ponders the Power of the Idee Fixe" by Mark Bly. American Theatre 26.3 (March 2009): 36-39, 68-70.
2016 | "Questioning Spirit"—Dramaturgy in America: Mark Bly in conversation with Katalin Trencsényi." Critical Stages/Scènes critiques: The IATC journal/Revue de l'AICT. December 2015: Issue No 12.[8]
2019 | New Dramaturgies: Strategies and Exercises for 21st Century Playwriting by Mark Bly. New York: Routledge/Focus, 2019.[22]
2020 | "The Dramaturgical Impulse or How Big Is Your Universe?" by Mark Bly. Diversity, Inclusion, and Representation in Contemporary Dramaturgy. Edited by Philippa Kelly. London: Routledge, 2020.[50]

## Productions (Selected)

[edit]

Year | Production

|

1979 | They Are Dying Out by Peter Handke. Adaptation by Michael Roloff in collaboration with Carl Weber. American Premiere, Directed by Carl Weber, Yale Repertory Theatre; Mark Bly, dramaturg.[51]
1983 | Peer Gynt by Henrik Ibsen. Translated by Rolf Fjelde. Directed by Liviu Ciulei, Guthrie Theater; Mark Bly, dramaturg.[8]
1984 | Hang On To Me. World Premiere. Book by Maxim Gorky. Songs and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin. Directed by Peter Sellars, Guthrie Theater; Mark Bly, dramaturg.[52]
1986 | Execution of Justice by Emily Mann. Directed by Emily Mann with Mary McDonnell, Earl Hyman, John Spencer, Stanley Tucci. On Broadway, Virginia Theater; Mark Bly, dramaturg.[6]
1987 | The Misanthrope by Molière. Translated by Richard Wilbur. Directed by Garland Wright, Guthrie Theater with Daniel Davis; Mark Bly, dramaturg.[31][53]
1987 | Leon and Lena (and Lenz) by Georg Büchner. Translated by Henry Schmidt. Directed by JoAnne Akalaitis with Jesse Borrego and Don Cheadle, Guthrie Theater; Mark Bly, dramaturg.[32]
1989 | Pravda by Howard Brenton and David Hare. American Premiere. Directed by Robert Falls, Guthrie Theater; Mark Bly, dramaturg.[54][55]
1992 | Conversations with My Father by Herb Gardner. World Premiere. Directed by Tony Award-winning director Daniel Sullivan with Judd Hirsch and Tony Shalhoub. Seattle Rep; Mark Bly, dramaturg.[33]
1994 | The America Play by Suzan-Lori Parks. World Premiere. Directed by Liz Diamond with Gail Grate, Reggie Montgomery and Michael Potts, Yale Repertory Theatre, co-production with The Public Theater; Mark Bly, dramaturg.[10]
1998 | Anadarko by Tim Blake Nelson. World Premiere. Directed by Tony Award-winning director Doug Hughes, MCC Theater; Mark Bly, dramaturg.[7]
2001 | Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen. English Version by Doug Hughes. Directed by Doug Hughes, Steppenwolf Theatre Company with Martha Plimpton; Mark Bly, dramaturg.[56]
2005 | The Passion Play, A Cycle by Sarah Ruhl. World Premiere. Directed by Molly Smith, Arena Stage; Mark Bly, dramaturg.[11]
2007 | 33 Variations by Moises Kaufman. World Premiere. Directed by Moisés Kaufman, Tectonic Theater Project at Arena Stage, and West Coast premiere at La Jolla Playhouse, 2009; Mark Bly, dramaturg.[9]
2009 | 33 Variations by Moisés Kaufman. Directed by Moisés Kaufman, Broadway, Eugene O'Neill Theatre with Jane Fonda and Zach Grenier; Mark Bly, dramaturg.[36]
2012 | An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen. Directed by Doug Hughes, Broadway, Samuel J. Friedman Theater; Mark Bly, dramaturg.[57]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Borreca, Art (1997). "Dramaturging New Play Dramaturgy: The Yale and Iowa Ideals". In Jonas, Susan (ed.). Dramaturgy in American Theater: A Source Book. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace. p. 59.
2. ^ Moore, David (1986). "Dramaturgy at the Guthrie: An Interview with Mark Bly". Theater. 17 (3): 43–50\. doi:10.1215/01610775-17-3-43. ISSN 0161-0775.
3. ^ "Yale Rep STAFF". www.tomshultz.com. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
4. ^ "Veteran Dramaturg, Educator Mark Bly Joins UH School of Theatre & Dance Faculty". ssl.uh.edu. Retrieved 2022-09-19. "Bly also handled dramaturg duties for the Seattle Repertory Theatre..."
5. ^ Hetrick, Adam (April 28, 2008). "Arena Stage Dramaturg Mark Bly to Join Houston's Alley Theatre". Playbill. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
6. ^ a b "'Execution of Justice' Playbill". Playbill. March 13, 1986. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
7. ^ a b Marks, Peter (1998-04-10). "THEATER REVIEW; A Jailing That Starts Bleak And Gets Much Worse". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
8. ^ a b c d e Trencsényi, Katalin Trencsényi (December 2015). ""Questioning Spirit"—Dramaturgy in America: Mark Bly in conversation with Katalin Trencsényi". Critical Stages/Scènes critiques: The IATC journal/Revue de l'AICT. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
9. ^ a b "33 Variations". Tectonic Theater Project. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
10. ^ a b c "'The America Play' Playbill". issuu. 1994. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
11. ^ a b c Jones, Kenneth (September 3, 2005). "Tableaux Vivant: Ruhl's Ambitious Passion Play, a cycle Gets World Premiere at Arena Stage". Playbill.
12. ^ "Alley Theatre Official Website - In Conversation with Rajiv Joseph". www.alleytheatre.org. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
13. ^ "Mark Bly | New Play Exchange". newplayexchange.org. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
14. ^ Trencsényi, Katalin (December 2015). ""Questioning Spirit"—Dramaturgy in America: Mark Bly in conversation with Katalin Trencsényi". Critical Stages/Scènes critiques: The IATC journal/Revue de l'AICT. Retrieved September 9, 2022. "Bly: If I was going to matter as a dramaturg, I had to have a questioning spirit. That became my mantra for American dramaturgy . . . It means creating an environment where everyone is free to ask questions; where curiosity is at a premium. I listen to the play and other artists and then and only then can I ask meaningful questions."
15. ^ Chemers, Michael M. (2010). Ghost light : an introductory handbook for dramaturgy. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press. p. 3\. ISBN 978-0-8093-8571-3. OCLC 649913253: Michael Chemers credits Bly with coming as close "as anyone ever has to explaining the function of the dramaturg in modern theater practice."`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
16. ^ Romanska, Magda (2015). The Routledge Companion to Dramaturgy. London. p. 421\. ISBN 978-0-415-65849-2. OCLC 868199750: Magda Romanska refers to Bly as "perhaps the most famous exponent of a more open approach to research and practice."`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: postscript (link)
17. ^ Bly, Mark (1997). Jonas, Susan (ed.). Bristling with Multiple Possibilities. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers. pp. 48–55\. ISBN 0-15-502586-4. OCLC 36654098. `{{cite book}}`: `|work=` ignored (help)
18. ^ Lewis, William W.; Bartley, Sean, eds. (2023). "Introduction". Experiential Theatres: Praxis-Based Approaches to Training 21st Century Theatre Artists. New York: Routledge. p. 29\. "We see a greater need for performance and performance-making pedagogies that address what dramaturg Mark Bly has called the questioning spirit in our students . . . The questioning spirit leads to original creation within a less hierarchical model where all involved in the process ideally have equal agency."
19. ^ a b Bly, Mark, Spec. Ed. (1986). "American Production Dramaturgs: An Introduction and Seven Interviews". Yale Theater. 17 (3): 5–50\. doi:10.1215/01610775-17-3-5.`{{cite journal}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
20. ^ a b Bly, Mark (1996). The Production Notebooks : Theatre in Process, Volume One. New York: Theatre Communications Group. ISBN 9781559361101.
21. ^ a b Bly, Mark (2001). The Production Notebooks: Theatre in Process, Volume II. New York: Theatre Communications Group.
22. ^ a b Bly, Mark (2019). New dramaturgies : strategies and exercises for 21st century playwriting. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-138-24085-8. OCLC 978672279.
23. ^ Londré, Felicia Hardison (2005). Words at play : creative writing and dramaturgy. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press. p. 234\. ISBN 0-8093-2679-5. OCLC 60245603: Felicia Hardison Londré describes Bly as a national leader in the "art of dramaturgy."`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
24. ^ Barnette, Jane (2018). Adapturgy : the dramaturg's art and theatrical adaptation. Carbondale, Illinois. p. 213\. ISBN 978-0-8093-3628-9. OCLC 1015309898: "Bly has had a profoundly generative impact on the practice of dramaturgy in North America."`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: postscript (link)
25. ^ Trencsényi, Katalin (December 2015). ""Questioning Spirit"—Dramaturgy in America: Mark Bly in conversation with Katalin Trencsényi". Critical Stages/Scènes critiques: The IATC journal/Revue de l'AICT. Retrieved 2022-09-14: Trencsényi references Bly as the "father of American dramaturgy."`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
26. ^ Chemers, Michael H. (2019). "The Legacy of the Hamburg Dramaturgy". In Baldyga, Natalya (ed.). The Hamburg dramaturgy : a new and complete annotated English translation. Translated by Arons, Wendy; Figal, Sara. London: Routledge. p. 27\. ISBN 978-0-203-07240-0. OCLC 1059452223: Michael Chemers writes that in the "1990's, the Yale School of Drama's dramaturgy programs flourished under the leadership of Mark Bly, generating influential American dramaturgs trained in the Lessing style who would become the progenitors of a vigorous international movement."`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
27. ^ Rudakoff, Judith D.; Thomson, Lynn M., Eds. (2002). Between the lines: the process of dramaturgy. Toronto: Playwrights Canada Press. p. 301\. ISBN 0-88754-622-6. OCLC 52496467.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
28. ^ "Contributors". Theater. 15 (2): 93. 1984. doi:10.1215/01610775-15-2-93. ISSN 0161-0775.
29. ^ Kalem, T. E. (March 14, 1983). "Theater: In the Realm of the Trolls". Time.
30. ^ King, Bruce (2016). Contemporary American Theatre. London: Palgrave Macmillan Limited. p. 273\. ISBN 978-1-349-21582-9. OCLC 1084343896.
31. ^ a b Mee, Erin; Ketter, Sari (Spring 2015). ""Speaking A Thought in the World I: Garland Wright on The Misanthrope."". SDC Journal: 46–53.
32. ^ a b Bly, Mark (Winter 1989). "JoAnne Akalaitis's Leon & Lena (and lenz): A Log from the Dramaturg". Yale Theater. 21 (1–2): 81–95\. doi:10.1215/01610775-21-1_and_2-81.1–2&rft.pages=81-95&rft.date=1989&rft_id=info:doi/10.1215/01610775-21-1_and_2-81&rft.aulast=Bly&rft.aufirst=Mark&rft_id=https://read.dukeupress.edu/theater/article-abstract/21/1_and_2/81/75500/JOANNE-Akalaitis-s-LEON-AND-LENA-AND-Lenz-A-LOG?redirectedFrom=fulltext&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Mark+Bly" class="Z3988">
33. ^ a b Bryer, Jackson R.; Hartig, Mary C., eds. (2010). The Facts on File companion to American drama (2nd ed.). New York: Facts On File. p. 181\. ISBN 978-1-4381-2966-2. OCLC 642206213.
34. ^ "Dramaturg Mark Bly and Artistic Director Molly Smith Photo (2014-02-10)". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
35. ^ Kaufman, Moises (2019). Foreword, New Dramaturgies and Exercises for 21st Century Playwriting by Mark Bly. New York: Routledge/Focus.
36. ^ a b Fonda, Jane (2009-03-21). "A DOORWAY TO INFINITY". Jane Fonda. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
37. ^ Sierra, Gabrielle. "Photos: Alley Theatre Presents GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
38. ^ Borreca, Art (1997). "Dramaturging New Play Dramaturgy: The Yale and Iowa Ideals". In Jonas, Susan (ed.). Dramaturgy in American Theater: A Source Book. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace. pp. 62–63.
39. ^ Hopkins, D.J. (Fall 2002). "Review: The Newsletter of the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas". The Newsletter of the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas. 13 (1).
40. ^ Leemann, Elizabeth (25 October 2019). "Thrown into the Deep End! A Participant's Perspective from The Kennedy Center New Play Dramaturgy Intensive 2019". The Theatre Times. TheTheatreTimes.Com. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
41. ^ "Bly Creative Capacity Grant Program". Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
42. ^ a b Engelman, Liz (Winter 2011). "The Lessing Award 2010: An Introduction". Review: The Journal of Dramaturgy. 21 (1): 3–4.
43. ^ a b Davies, Mary (2020-04-04). ""New Dramaturgies:" Insights Into Mark Bly's Playwriting Exercises. Interview with Mark Bly". The Theatre Times. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
44. ^ Bly, Mark; Cruz, Nilo; Zacarias, Karen; Charles, Randolph Wright; Henry Hwang, David (April 2007). "Where Do We Go From Here?" Four Playwrights Anticipate the Seismic Shifts of the New Century. A Roundtable Moderated by Mark Bly". American Theatre. 24 (4): 36–39.
45. ^ Consortium, British Theatre. "20/20: Playwriting / Pedagogy (2010)". British Theatre Consortium.
46. ^ Henry, Gregg (April 29, 2019). Email to Mark Bly: Kennedy Center Medallion of Excellence to Mark Bly. Washington, DC: Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.
47. ^ "Member List". College of Fellows of the American Theatre. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
48. ^ "Bristling with Multiple Possibilities". Dramaturgy in American theater : a source book. Susan Jonas, Geoffrey S. Proehl, Michael Lupu. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers. 1997. pp. 48–53\. ISBN 0-15-502586-4. OCLC 36654098.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: others (link)
49. ^ Rudakoff, Judith; Thomson, Lynn M., eds. (2002). Between the lines : the process of dramaturgy. Toronto: Playwrights Canada Press. pp. 301–324\. ISBN 0-88754-622-6. OCLC 52496467.
50. ^ Bly, Mark (2020). "The Dramaturgical Impulse: Or How Big Is Your Universe?". In Kelly, Philippa; Ramanan, Amrita (eds.). Diversity, inclusion, and representation in contemporary dramaturgy : case studies from the field. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-429-44531-6. OCLC 1138997132.
51. ^ "'They Are Dying Out' Production Program". Issuu. 1979. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
52. ^ Rich, Frank (1984-05-19). "STAGE: 'HANG ON TO ME' AT THE GUTHRIE THEATER". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
53. ^ "Production History | Guthrie Theater". www.guthrietheater.org. Retrieved 2022-09-25.
54. ^ "Guthrie Theater flourishing in its 25th year. Moli'ere play on stage, 'Hamlet' in the wings". Christian Science Monitor. 1988-07-29. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
55. ^ Sullivan, Dan (February 25, 1989). "STAGE WIRE : 'Pravda' American Premiere Applauded by the Critics". Los Angeles Times.
56. ^ "Hedda Gabler". www.steppenwolf.org. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
57. ^ "An Enemy of the People". Playbill. September 27, 2012.