Play (theatre)

Play (theatre)

Literature
Major forms
  • Novel
  • Poem
  • Drama
  • Short story
  • Novella
Genres
  • Comedy
  • Drama
  • Epic
  • Erotic
  • Nonsense
  • Lyric
  • Mythopoeia
  • Romance
  • Satire
  • Tragedy
  • Tragicomedy
Media
  • Performance (play)
  • Book
Techniques
  • Prose
  • Verse
History and lists
  • Outline of literature
  • Index of terms
  • History
  • Modern history
  • Books
  • Writers
  • Literary awards
  • Poetry awards
Discussion
  • Criticism
  • Theory
  • Magazines

A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. Plays are performed at a variety of levels, from Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional theater, to Community theatre, as well a University or school productions. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed or read. The term "play" can refer to both the written works of playwrights and to their complete theatrical performance.

Read more about Play (theatre):  Terminology

Famous quotes containing the word play:

    To save the theatre, the theatre must be destroyed, the actors and actresses must all die of the plague. They poison the air, they make art impossible. It is not drama that they play, but pieces for the theatre. We should return to the Greeks, play in the open air; the drama dies of stalls and boxes and evening dress, and people who come to digest their dinner.
    Eleonora Duse (1859–1924)