One aspect of dramaturgy is the research that goes into the theatermaking process. Commonly referred to as production research, this work involves finding information that can be used to explore the many facets of a play: its author, context in our world and the world of the play, production history, critical analysis and interpretation, images and sounds, and sources, influences, and analogues.

This information explores the life of the playwright and experiences that may have influenced his/her work.

When doing research on the playwright, look for information about:

• the playwright's influences, life experiences, dominant themes
• social, political, philosophical, and moral attitudes of the day

Concerns the setting in which the action takes place. The setting includes: specific information about the environment, what has happened before the play begins, and the attitudes of characters toward the world of the play.

When doing research on the world of the play, look for information about:

• Economic environment--class, wealth and poverty
• Political environment--the relationship of the characters to the form of government under which they live
• Social environment--the mores and social institutions under which the characters live
• Cultural environment--the arts, architecture, sports, fashion, popular culture
• Historical environment--events in history

This area includes interaction among the worlds of the play, the author, and the audience.

When doing researching about the world of the audience, look for information about:

The general character of society

• Example: An American audience in the 1990s may be concerned with the state of the economy, racial tensions, the assertion of family values, AIDS, and the protection of the environment.

The variable nature of any specific audience at a play

• Examples: white middle class, Generation X, feminist, or conservative

Contemporary events that are comparable to those in the world of the play

• Example: A parallel can be drawn between the issue of corporate responsibility in Arthur Miller's "All My Sons" and the manufacturer of the unsafe cars by the auto industry such as the Chevrolet Corvair by General Motor in the 1960s.

• Look for social histories using the following subject terms:

  • [country]--social conditions
  • [country]--social life and customs
  • Do a title search using the words "daily life"
     
• Search the history of the period
  • [country] AND history AND [century]
     
• Search views of the author
  • [author] political AND "social views"
  • [author] AND religion
     
• Search for a broad overview of a country or city
  • [country] civilization
  • [city] civilization
     

• Search for works about the theatre

  • theater AND [country]