The Hamburg Dramaturgy of Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, a collection of German essays published from 1767 to 1769, laid the foundation of theatrical criticism as scholars and artists know it today. Unfortunately, the only English translation of the work is antiquated and incomplete (missing more than 30% of the full text). Not for long. Wendy Arons will lead a team that will translate the text in its entirety, digitally publishing the chapters as they go (much like Lessing’s serialized original). The CFA professor aims to complete the print edition by 2015. The work of translating a nearly 600-page text is being funded by a National Endowment for the Humanities grant, a first for the School of Drama.
—Olivia O’Connor (DC’13)