2 September 2015, on Phase 1 of the Dramaturg Apprenticeship Programme under The Garage:
“I began my apprenticeship both with excitement as well as some trepidation, mainly because I assumed I would be treading unfamiliar territory. Instead, I discovered that dramaturgy is already familiar ground, only I was going deeper into areas that had mainly been peripheral in my theatrical work, as well as giving a name to these areas, which till now had been somewhat miscellaneous and heterogeneous. Also, I had always connected dramaturgy mainly with research, but now I have a big-picture understanding of it – doing everything necessary to bring a theatrical production to its fruition, and integrating the many strands of a production together to create a unified final product.
I am now looking forward to being the observer-dramaturg to a couple of productions, which in turn would lead, I hope, to actual dramaturgical assignments in the future. I have some trepidation still. What if I find myself the dramaturg for a project that is highly unfamiliar to me, perhaps in its form, genre or in terms of the oeuvre by the company in question? I hope with sufficient experience, I will be able to meet this challenge one day.”
~ Nandabalan Panneerselvam, Dramaturg Apprentice 2015
