The motto of DRAMATICA or Rational Poetics: “We tell only stories about people—because we tell them to people.”

Our main business in life is to study fellow human beings: this is the only way we can find our special place in this universe. Who is he/she? What does he/she think, feel, want? Why does he/she act in this particular way? Why does someone/no one love me? DRAMATICA or Rational Poetics answers these questions in a direct, uncomplicated, and witty manner. Although the title of the book indicates that it is a collection of a playwright’s professional tools, the author, Lauris Gundars, has found a way of speaking that is accessible to anyone interested in people. It is exactly for this reason that the first edition of the book, written in a relaxed and captivating style, has already won popularity among both professionals and readers interested in life exploration. Based on many years of experience in creative work and teaching, Gundars proposes a distinctive, simple, and efficient method of creating characters—particularly useful to practicing playwrights.

REVIEWS

You may find it surprising that a psychology magazine is recommending a book about writing plays. The truth is, the book does not deal just with the rules that form the basis of good playwriting; it also contains lots of interesting things relating to human characters, the motivation and inner logic of people’s actions. After all, to a certain extent, we all create our own life like we would write a play. It should also be mentioned that, despite the serious content, the book makes for a lively read and is even attractively designed.

—The Annas’ Pshychology Monthly, December 2016

Lauris’s warmth, curiosity, and deep understanding of dramatic form have been invaluable in each circumstance. And all of these skills are on display in DRAMATICA. The text is accessible and easy to read. It gets right to the point, and the perspective is pragmatic, equipping readers with ideas that they can easily apply to their writing practice. Underneath it all resonates Lauris’s deep knowledge of dramatic history and theory and his wide-ranging experience in the field. The book is a gift to everyone working in the field of dramatic writing.

— Anne G. Morgan
Literary Manager & Dramaturg
Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, USA

DRAMATICA was quick to awaken the enthusiasm that has always been living in me! I did not expect that, once opened, the book will keep me captivated until the small hours. Jam-packed with secret additives, it creates whirlpools of intellectual adventures and emotional discoveries. They do not calm down that quickly, making you notice, live out, and understand the real and made-up dramas around you—now on a completely new level!

— Anda Rožukalne
Associate Professor Riga Stradiņš University
Chair of the Department of Communication Studies

This is not just a workshop— this is a whole solid world that lights up the soul of anyone who wants to make sense of the human being and, while they are at it, write a drama. An excellent springboard for a jump.

— Alexander Chervinsky
Russian/American playwright and scriptwriter

DRAMATICA is an excellent way of studying drama and life, and not give up even at times when you feel that you are not getting anywhere. A sort of a good reminder. Besides, it helps understand what it really is that we consume as theater and film spectators—in a very direct manner, without any superfluous bells and whistles. Let us be intelligent!

— Rasa Bugavičute-Pēce
Latvian playwright

A provocative description of the creation of dramatic text—or literary text in general, it surprises both with the prosaic nature of the depicted “creative anguish” and the frequently comical psychological down-to-earth nature of the analyzed dramatic situations.

— Diena Annual Award in Culture

There are professions in which talent is the most important thing. It is different with playwriting: skills of the craft are of equal significance here. [...] Gundars discusses dramaturgy in a professional, thorough, interesting and also witty manner. And most importantly, he does that based on a contemporary approach to the subject. [...] Besides, the book is a compelling read!

— Oļģerts Kroders
Theatre director

Introduction I
or About this Text

Even if the author of a text has a perfectly good idea of what they should be writing and why, which is the case in this particular instance, they are nevertheless worried if the reader will eagerly follow their words until the final letter. To make it happen, an introduction of sorts is usually crafted, in which the reasons are laid out as to why the reader actually should begin to pay attention to whatever is said in the text. What is the genre of this work? How do you read it; how do you approach it? Let’s first cover a definition of what the text is not.
This book is neither a guide nor a manual. It’s not a collection of tests, questions, answers,  instructions, formulae, or schemes—and even less a recipe for earning good money with playwriting. While the text does contain bits and pieces of all of the above, it cannot be pigeonholed as one of said genres. But still, how do you describe what this piece is? Who would benefit from reading it and why?
Who? Of course, the reader’s level of life experience and encyclopaedic knowledge may—and does—differ: from a determined enthusiast to an award-winning creative or analytical professional, which is why this book is not intended as a compilation of pure knowledge. The response from the readers of the first Latvian edition of DRAMATICA was quite telling. The author was approached by people from many walks of life—both those seeking professional knowledge and those who had just discovered the unique form of human self-expression that is playwriting (and its surprisingly simple rules). These experiences have helped the author come up with a more clear definition: DRAMATICA is a means, an opportunity, and a tool that almost forces the reader to reflect upon their own existence. What this phenomenon also demonstrates is a certain professional aspect of the matter: an ideal dramatic text is a direct reflection of life itself. And so—whom is DRAMATICA aimed at then? Everyone. Even when the text lists specific instructions on structuring a dramatic text, their intrinsic logic will only enhance the awareness of the life exploration process in a reader who does not have the ambition of turning into a professional dramatist.
Why? Texts dealing with the laws of drama share a common feature: they tend to tackle the foundation of the craft. While some people may find this too simple, even primitive, it is a self-evident, even commendable peculiarity to the informed reader. The specific character of dramatic material demands starting from scratch every time: each new story presumes its own uniqueness, if only for the sole reason that it features a complete new set of people or characters. This, in turn, determines the creation of a one-of-a-kind construction. And yet all dramatic structures do have something in common: they share a set of unconditional laws, the objective existence of which stipulates that the body of dramatic knowledge must be activated, warm, at all times. It is exactly the same as with a sports enthusiast of any level: a once-acquired physical form means nothing if it is not kept up to date through regular training. In a gym we see a fitness fan, an experienced body-builder, and an Olympic champion toiling away at the same exercise machines, and they are motivated by the same goal: I want to be prepared whenever I might need it. In the case of writing drama: I will be prepared at any moment to create/understand a dramatic text that will be something completely new every time. In other words: I am aware of the tools necessary to try to make sense of life itself. Because life is also completely different and completely new every day.
We could use a possibly not too appealing—but very apt—term to describe this creation: a training book. In other words, a text that will teach something entirely new to some people, while providing others with substantiation for things they have long since realized on their own.
Anyone who is seriously interested in anything will always benefit from a repetition of things they already know. Even if they should feel inclined to disagree with any of the postulates of this text, it will only encourage them to work on developing their own dramaticmuscles. Or, in other words, their life-exploration skills. It may seem a somewhat pompous way of putting it, but there is no need for us to be so modest. Let’s get busy!
Similarly, encouraged by the readers of the first edition, the audience, and like-minded professionals, there is a new chapter in this edition called “Workshop.” It contains a set of tools that could be used by those who want to write plays and yet, constantly finding new, mostly trivial excuses, habitually postpone acting on this decision. By the time we get to this chapter, we will have explored the common features shared by all dramatic texts. As for the “Workshop,” it’s worth reading if you are about to start working on an actual piece of playwriting. Sticking with the analogy already used in this preface, “Workshop” could be compared to a sort of fitness instructor who will not let you go too easy on yourself in the gym.

Fragment of Dramatica