Queering Neverland A Dramaturgy of Care

Abstract

During the spring 2023 semester, I assistant directed a double-cast, queer production of Kimberly Belflower’s Lost Girl at American University. In the process, I developed a “dramaturgy of care”—an approach to integrating dramaturgical principles into a variety of theatrical disciplines. Using this approach, theatre makers of all stripes should make the time for deep text analysis, research (on the text and how it’s situated culturally, historically, and politically), discussions, and purposeful cross-role collaboration—from the prep and pre-rehearsal phase through a show’s opening. By putting this method into practice with Lost Girl, our creative team fostered a more thoughtful, caring process, as could anyone who keeps these principles in mind.