Who Is the Playwright?

The author of the play is the “playwright” – so called because, like a shipwright or a wheelwright, the playwright is regarded as a craftsman as well as an artist – someone who hammers a play into shape.

Some writers – such as George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart – worked both in teams and individually. Playwrights who work on musicals are “bookwriters” – the dialogue in a musical is called “the book.”

Creating and Developing a Concept
In theater, unlike the film industry, the playwright’s words are sacred. Nothing can be changed, added or cut without the playwright’s consent. Screenwriters, on the other hand, often find their scripts rewritten multiple times by other writers, the film director and even the actors. In the theater, thegoal of the entire artistic team – director, actor, designer – is to bring the playwright’s unique vision from the page to the stage.