Tatiana Godfrey
she/her/ella
My dramaturgical practice is rooted in the understanding that any art I create here in the United States is working within, in response to, and in conversation with institutional systems of oppression. The dramaturgical questions I ask always begin with inquiries about the relevance to the current moment and how to engage responsible storytelling.
New Play Dramaturgy
Holding the Writer
I believe good new play dramaturgy starts with care: protecting the writer’s vision while helping the play become more fully itself. What matters most to me is a process that leaves the playwright feeling clearer, stronger, and more sure of their own instincts.
Ellyn Broderick and Chance Kilgour in The New Adventures of Calliope Jones and Captain Cool at the 2018 Cincinnati Fringe Festival.
Production Dramaturgy
Holding the Play
My ethos as a production dramaturg is rooted in rigorous attention to the text, deep trust in the expertise of the room, and a commitment to process over prescription. I see my role not as imposing a singular vision, but as helping the team ask better questions, notice where meanings diverge, and build coherence collaboratively.
2020 production of Ota Shogo's The Water Station, directed by Vishnupad Barve at the University of Massachussets.
Producing
Holding the Whole
The work and the people making it come first. Process is not a means to an end but the thing itself, and the best thing I can do is build the conditions for excellence and then trust the room. Quality is not achieved — it's cultured, carefully, from the first conversation to the last performance.
The poster from Gentrification: The Musical, produced by my production company Doin' Too Much Productions, in the 2022 Cincinnati Fringe Festival.
Facilitation
Holding the Room
A well-structured space is a generous one; a well-researched question is an act of respect; and people speak most honestly when they trust someone is holding them through the process. Whether I'm leading a post-show talkback, a playwright interview, or a public panel, my job is the same — to build the container, do the homework, and make it safe to think out loud.
Photo Credit: Mikki Schaffner Instagram: @mikkischaffner