SENECA INTENSIV Studios
Georg Knorr Straße 4 | House 10
12681 Berlin
Entrance on the back of the building
Day 1
On the first day of this seminar, we’ll explore the field of dramaturgy from three perspectives: the body, communication, and the audience. Together, we’ll ask which bodies we want to bring to the stage in our respective art forms, which images of the body shape us, what we know about them—and how we can consciously shape them. We’ll examine how a “theatrical moment” comes about for us: Who experiences what, where, and how? What expectations do we bring with us, and which ones do we want to awaken in the audience?
And finally: Who is this audience, really? Where do we find it, how do we address it, and how do we invite it in? Through shared discussion and practical exercises, we’ll explore how dramaturgy can be understood as a living process—as an encounter between us and those who experience our work.
Day 2: The second day is devoted to the performing arts in the context of society and politics. Artistic practice does not emerge in a vacuum. It operates within social, political, and institutional frameworks that open up scope for action but also set limits. The seminar invites participants to reflect on their own artistic practice in relation to society, politics, and cultural institutions and to develop their own stance.
The goal is to gain a better understanding of the conditions surrounding artistic creation in Germany and to be able to assess both the rights and responsibilities of artists within a democratic social system. Using examples from history and the present, the seminar discusses the challenges of artistic practice and explores the social potential of art.
The seminar does not promote any particular political position, but rather provides dramaturgical expertise and guidance to help participants shape their artistic work in a more self-determined and strategic manner within a social context.
Maren Witte lives and works in Berlin as a freelance dramaturg and systemic supervisor. In 2009, she founded the outreach program TANZSCOUT Berlin. Since 2015, she has been a professor of Context and Theory of the Performing Arts at the University of the Arts in Social Contexts, Ottersberg.
