Playwright facts for kids
A playwright is someone who writes plays for the stage. These plays are usually performed by actors. Another name for a playwright is a dramatist, because plays are also called drama. Sometimes, plays are written just to be read, not acted out. These are known as closet dramas.
The word wright in playwright might sound like "write," but it actually comes from an old English word for a builder or maker. Think of a wheelwright, who builds wheels. In the same way, a playwright builds or creates plays. When this word was first used, it was meant as a bit of an insult. But today, it's just a normal word for the job.
History of Playwrights
The very first playwrights in Western literature whose plays we can still read were from Ancient Greece. They wrote their plays around the 5th century BC. These ancient writers are super important because they created ways of writing plays that are still used today. Some famous Greek playwrights include Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes.
Perhaps the most famous playwright of all time is William Shakespeare. Many plays and movies made later are based on his amazing tragedies and comedies. For example, the musical Kiss Me, Kate is based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. His classic story of Romeo and Juliet has been retold many times. Also, the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard, written in 1966, is a modern version of Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Modern Playwrights
Today, modern playwrights are often not as famous as writers from the past. This is partly because television and movies have become very popular. Because of this, fewer people go to the theater. This means that plays might not sell as many tickets, and sometimes there isn't enough money to produce new plays. As a result, many talented playwrights today are not widely known.
Images for kids
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Aleksis Kivi was a Finnish national author who mainly wrote plays. One of his most famous plays is Heath Cobblers from 1864.
See also
In Spanish: Dramaturgo para niños
