Written by: Liv Garcia, Co-Editor-in-Chief
It’s Mercury retrograde season y’all. AKA “just barely missing your train, misunderstanding texts from your friends, and submitting papers with spelling errors” season. During a retrograde, communication can feel impossible. This time especially affects dramaturgs, who work across disciplines and facilitate dialogues as part of our everyday practice. So, how do you dramaturg during a Mercury retrograde?
A brief caveat: maybe you’re not as “woo woo” as I am and the only thing you know about the Zodiac is corny pickup lines. That’s fair! There are lessons to be learned from this season that apply to everyone, from the folks who can rattle off a chart with Megan Fox levels of precision to those who had to delete Co-Star because they felt a little too bullied. Take what resonates and leave the rest behind.
First and foremost, let’s talk about what a Mercury retrograde actually means. Most of the time when we look at the sky from Earth’s surface, planets appear to be moving forwards in their orbits. In a retrograde, that changes! Mercury orbits the sun much faster than Earth does (a complete orbit takes 88 Earth days), so there are moments where it “catches up” to Earth. When that happens, an optical illusion occurs where it looks like Mercury first pauses and then moves backward (westward) in the night sky. Astrologers view these periods, retrogrades, as a time when the areas that the planet rules feel a little bit askew.
I get that Mercury retrograde is kind of a joke. Every time I mention it, I can’t help but cringe a little bit, as if even broaching the topic means my credibility suffers a massive hit. Honestly? I don’t know if the movement of the planets has a tangible effect on human lives. I’m open to the possibility! Regardless, I think it’s essential to recognize that life has cycles, and Mercury retrograde is one name for the periods of time when relating to each other feels frustrating.
Mercury is the planet of communication, of movement, of technology. It rules how and why we talk to each other. It’s also responsible for the dialogues that make up a lot of dramaturgy practice. Every time a dramaturg writes a note to a director, presents an actor packet, or shares information in rehearsal they are in the realm of Mercury. Dramaturgs are Mercurial - we’re communicators by nature and trade, responsible for fostering understanding in our creative processes. When our ability to communicate is challenged, it calls into question what it means to “dramaturg” in the first place.
If you’re feeling like that, hi! I’m in that boat with you! What a weird, scary boat! When it feels like I’m sinking, here are two reminders I try to give myself:
Difficult is not the same thing as impossible. Struggling with something, grappling with it even, often means that you understand it more deeply at the end. Mercury invites us to sit in duality, to be comfortable with knowing and not knowing. That’s a vulnerable place to be, but it leads to a place of deeper understanding. For dramaturgs, Mercury retrograde is a challenge to admit when we don’t know. If research, conversation, or carefully-worded notes are failing you, try leaning into other forms of knowledge, or even trusting that it’s okay not to have the “right” answer every time.
Communication is connection. Mercury is the messenger god. He moves across worlds and between borders, carrying information to everyone who needs to hear it. I use “carrying” deliberately. Dramaturgy, like all communication work, can sometimes feel heavy. A retrograde is a chance to examine whether or not the systems we’ve always tried are still working for us. Use it as a chance to take a closer look at the messages you’re carrying, both for others and for yourself.
Above all, Mercury retrograde invites us to slow down and be mindful in our communication. Mercury retrograde three times a year. When you combine that with the time it’s in “shadow,” where we might be feeling some diluted retrograde effects, it’s about six months, half of every year. Learning how to communicate in impossible circumstances is a necessary tool if we want to communicate at all. So, dramaturgy during a Mercury retrograde means understanding that it’s better to have imperfect communication than perfect isolation.
Here’s a hot take: maybe Mercury retrograde is the time we need dramaturgs most. After all, when we’re at our best we work to untangle the exact knots that Mercury retrograde ties. In rehearsal spaces, we make sure that everyone makes their decisions from a well-informed place, rather than rushing to conclusions. We revel in the tricky parts of scripts, those places where it seems like there are no good answers. Our job is to make sure that every aspect of a production clearly communicates the message we’ve decided on together and to navigate conflict when things refuse to gel. Retrogrades serve as a reminder of why our job is so crucial.
The first retrograde of 2022 ends on February 3rd when Mercury stations direct. We’ll potentially be feeling the effects of the retrograde until February 24th, when Mercury moves out of its shadow. From there, we start a new cycle. Perhaps on the 24th, you’ll magically find that all of your communication woes are solved. I doubt it though! When you do come across those moments of disconnect, I hope you lean on your dramaturgy training. Trust that an open flow of information, respect for your collaborators, and a firm foundation of knowledge is the key to better communication and connection for us all.
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