Before we met Gigi Naglak, one of the co-founders of Flashpoint Theatre Company, we thought we knew a thing or two about the major players in a stage production. You have your actors, of course, plus playwrights, directors, set designers, and costumers. But while reading Gigi's online bio, we came across a job we had never heard before: dramaturg. Even without knowing its function, it was clear anyone with such a sassy job title must be pretty sassy herself, so we took Gigi out for lunch to talk about Flashpoint, its current show, The Dead Guy, and the Philly theatre scene.

First question, what the hell is a dramaturg?
That’s everyone’s first question! Well, there are two sides to dramaturgy. My side is with plays that have been performed before. I do the background research on the play, and any other information that may help the directors and actors. On the other side, you work with the playwright of a new play to revise a script before and after rehearsal. In The Dead Guy, which is a satire of reality TV, I found a series of articles from newspapers and magazines about a Dutch TV show that was supposed to be called The Big Donor Show. Three people were competing to win a dying woman’s kidney. A motion was brought to the Dutch Parliament to stop it. It turned out the show was a hoax. It was protesting the way transplants are done. But that debate formed a context for us. How far are these shows willing to go? What will the public accept?

How did you pick this as your profession?
As an actress, too, I’ve always been interested in pulling apart the literature of a play and putting it back together. When I was an undergrad at Drew University we were required to take two classes in theatre history, and I ended up loving it. That’s a lot of what I do—taking the play and putting it into a historical context.

How was Flashpoint founded?
It was founded by five of us who met in the theater department at Drew. After graduating, we all went out in the theatre world working in different capacities on the art administration and creative sides. Collectively we had problems finding the kind of work we wanted to do. It’s very competitive. Flashpoint started with an email discussion bounced between three different states—California, Pennsylvania, and Chicago—and I was in London at the time. We all had similar goals and the skills to create the infrastructure. We chose Philadelphia and it was born July 4, 2003. Six months later we all moved out here and a year later put on our first show.

Why Philly?
We wanted to be on the East Coast, and it was a city with a rising theatre scene. When we came there were 30 small companies—now there are 100 that belong to the Theatre Alliance. We wanted to be part of that growth. Plus, it’s a place where you can afford to do your work. Also kind of awesome is its proximity to New York City and Washington DC. Many people in the business work in all three cities regularly.

So tell us more about The Dead Guy.
It’s a satire of reality television, a dark comedy. [This is] its Philadelphia premiere—we try to make the vast majority of our plays local premieres. It fits into the socially provocative aspect of our mission statement. We pick plays relevant to our lives as people in our late 20s, early 30s. This show provided us with brand new ground as far as technical elements go. It includes a lot of pre-recorded video, live-feed video, and funky set design, including rotating platforms. But beyond all the tech stuff, it’s a great script with a large ensemble cast. It’s hilarious. If we’re not careful, we get too serious—we like a comedy.

What’s next for Flashpoint?
Prom 2008! It’s our annual gala event, with dancing, food, drinks, and prizes. You can vote for the prom theme on our website. We just confirmed that it’s going to be on June 14th at L2. It features a performance by the Flashpointer Sisters—the founders and staff members all do an interpretive dance. It’s something we’re well known for. Tickets are $23 in advance, and you get a free drink.

We also have two Philadelphia premieres picked for next season. There’s An Impending Rupture of the Belly, which was critically lauded in its LA premiere last year. The other is called Jump/Cut. The other play we aren’t sure of yet. It’s our fifth anniversary season, so we have some special events planned for it.

What about with you? Are you leaning more toward being a dramaturg than an actor?
I really want to do both of them. They do completely different things for me. I love performing, but also working behind the scenes. Each one makes me better at the other!