Elizabeth Dunn-Ruiz collaborates with painter, writer, playwright, and filmmaker John Ransom Phillips

Published in ConnectED Newsletter - Volume 6 - Issue 3 - March 2023

Lecturer in Educational Theatre Elizabeth Dunn-Ruiz recently worked as dramaturg for a play entitled “Mommy,” by John Ransom Phillips. The play is a lyrical exploration of grief, myth, and motherhood.

As a dramaturg, Professor Dunn-Ruiz’s main job was to be an ally to the playwright and a question-asker of the script. As she explains, dramaturgy also involves a lot of research. “Topics I investigated for this play include the history of cell phones, when Whole Foods first came to New York City, some beliefs and rituals of voodoo, the myth of Persephone, and the work of Anaïs Nin.” She and her colleagues also had many rich conversations about the essential questions the play is asking in an effort to get clarity around what the playwright hopes to reveal through this work, how the complicated timeline functions in support of these ideas, and how the relationships between characters changes over time.

The next step of the process is to bring in actors to read the script aloud so the playwright can hear his words and experience the plot and pacing anew. Actors and audience will be invited to provide feedback in response to questions that the team is still exploring.

Professor Dunn-Ruiz sees very clear connections between this work and her work as teacher educator. “New play development requires curiosity and collaboration, two things that are also essential in educational spaces. As an educator and dramaturg, it is important to know when to step in and when to step back,” she says. She adds that her goal is always to ask the right question at the right moment and then provide supportive space for investigation, discovery, and creation.