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A play, or stageplay, is a form of literature written by a playwright, almost always consisting of dialogue between fictional characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than reading. Many people (especially scholars) read plays for pleasure, or study them in an academic manner. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed or read. Therefore, the term "play" can refer to both the written works of playwrights and to their complete theatrical performance.[1]
Richard Monette, who held the longest tenure of Artistic Director at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival (1994-2007), said that plays on the shelf are literature, whereas plays on the stage are theatre.[2]
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History
The play originated in Ancient Greece and was popular through Roman times.[3] They began to fade from popularity until the late 16th Century, when Shakespeare popularised theatres and plays. His influence on this literary form, and the English language, is still apparent today.[4]
Shakespeare may, in fact, have helped introduce the play to England, as before the late 1500s there were no set plays in England, just wandering minstrels performing scenes on request.[5]
Genres
Comedy
Comedies are plays which are designed to be humourous. Comedies were one of the two original play types of Ancient Greece, along with tragedies.[6][7]
Farce
A generally nonsensical genre of play, farces are often overacted and often involve slapstick humour.[7]
Satirical
A satire is a play that tends to poke fun at current events or famous people.[8]
Tragedy
These plays often involve death and are designed to cause the reader or viewer to feel sadness. Tragedy was one of the two original play types of Ancient Greece.[6]
Historical
These plays focus on actual historical events. They can be tragedies or comedies, but are often neither of these. History as a separate genre was popularised by William Shakespeare.[9]
Terminology
The term "play" can be either a general term, or more specifically refer to a non-musical play. Sometimes the term "straight play" is used in contrast to "musical", which refers to a play based on music, dance, and songs sung by the play's characters.
See also
Lists
- List of basic theatre topics
- List of Canadian plays
- List of films based on stage plays or musicals
- List of plays made into feature films
Related topics
References
- ^ "Play": Dictionary.com website. Retrieved on January 3, 2008.
- ^ Ouzounian, Richard (September 2002). Stratford Gold: 50 Years, 50 Stars, 50 Conversations (in English). Canada: McArthur & Company, 286. ISBN 1552782719.
- ^ "THE ENGLISH DRAMA.; A LECTURE ON ITS ORIGIN AND RI... - View Article - The New York Times". query.nytimes.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-17.
- ^ "Shakespeare's Influence". shakespeare.about.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-17.
- ^ "Elizabethan Theatre". www.globe-theatre.org.uk. Retrieved on 2008-06-20.
- ^ a b "THE ANCIENT GREEK DRAMA & THEATRE HISTORY PAGE". anarchon.tripod.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-16.
- ^ a b "Origin of Comedy". www.theatrehistory.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-16.
- ^ "satire - Definitions from Dictionary.com". dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-16.
- ^ "The Three Richards: Richard I ... - Google Book Search". books.google.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-06-17.
