Colleagues talk about Karen ~
D.J. Hopkins:
I first heard of Karen Jean as a member of the infamous "Naughty Dramaturgs." And she still exemplifies what that group stood for: outside-the-box thinking about dramaturgy and theatrical production. Karen Jean starts from the traditional work of the dramaturg — which she describes as "research, dialogue, and critical interrogation" — and to that traditional mix, she adds performance. She makes the work of the dramaturg an experience: for her collaborators and her audiences alike. Installations, site-specific work, masks, and movement are all tools for activating the results of her creative research, thereby making that research vital and useful and embodied.
A great example of Karen Jean's approach is the environmental performance that she organized for the Dramaturgy Focus Group at the 2007 Association for Theatre in Higher Education conference. Just one part of a larger event, Karen Jean marshaled the months-long research and development process, set up a website for her collaborators to share their work, and then lead the team in staging five simultaneous installation stations based on their collective research. Performed for an audience of hundreds of skeptical theatre scholars, this performance piece was a real success — not only did it start the whole event on a strong note, it epitomized Karen Jean's work: a spatial, performance-based approach to a complex subject. She really made our group look good.
Professor D.J. Hopkins
• Assistant Professor, Head of Theatre Studies
• Director of MA Program in Theatre Arts
• School of Theatre, Television, and Film, San Diego State University
• Dramaturgy Focus Group Representative, ATHE
• Vice-President, Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas”
I first heard of Karen Jean as a member of the infamous "Naughty Dramaturgs." And she still exemplifies what that group stood for: outside-the-box thinking about dramaturgy and theatrical production. Karen Jean starts from the traditional work of the dramaturg — which she describes as "research, dialogue, and critical interrogation" — and to that traditional mix, she adds performance. She makes the work of the dramaturg an experience: for her collaborators and her audiences alike. Installations, site-specific work, masks, and movement are all tools for activating the results of her creative research, thereby making that research vital and useful and embodied.A great example of Karen Jean's approach is the environmental performance that she organized for the Dramaturgy Focus Group at the 2007 Association for Theatre in Higher Education conference. Just one part of a larger event, Karen Jean marshaled the months-long research and development process, set up a website for her collaborators to share their work, and then lead the team in staging five simultaneous installation stations based on their collective research. Performed for an audience of hundreds of skeptical theatre scholars, this performance piece was a real success — not only did it start the whole event on a strong note, it epitomized Karen Jean's work: a spatial, performance-based approach to a complex subject. She really made our group look good.Professor D.J. Hopkins
• Assistant Professor, Head of Theatre Studies• Director of MA Program in Theatre Arts• School of Theatre, Television, and Film, San Diego State University• Dramaturgy Focus Group Representative, ATHE• Vice-President, Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas” Karen Jean’s work as a team leader was exemplary. She was prompt with ideas and responses to ideas, and always worked toward achieving goals in organizing individual and group discussions. Once we arrived on-site, her contribution as a leader was apparent as the project moved swiftly and efficiently to a material form. The product was an artistic reflection of cohesive thought and action, which, in no small part, was due to her work.
Susan Russell
Assistant Professor, School of Theatre
Penn State University
Susan RussellAssistant Professor, School of TheatrePenn State UniversityKaren Jean Martinson and I have been collaborating together for almost a decade. I know her work as a teacher, dramaturg, director, conference presenter and chair, academic and artist. Karen's keen eye and quick thinking lends thoughtful and thought-provoking intelligence to the work. And, although she pursues excellence, she is laid back and calm, even in crisis. Karen is a politically-minded and a critical thinker, often working for social change, and inspires the best in her colleagues and students.I always invite Karen to give guest lectures to my freshmen Intro and senior Theory classes at the University of Minnesota and University of St. Thomas for her ability to explain theory, apply it, and engage with them about its utility. She is dynamic in the classroom! I can't recommend her highly enough.Lisa Arnold, Teaching ArtistMinneapolis, MN