What is Playwright?
[[File:Shakespeare.jpg|thumb|[[William Shakespeare]], one of the most acclaimed dramtists of history.]] A '''playwright''' is a person who writes [[Play (theatre)|plays]] for the stage. Because the name of such a text is ''drama'', another word for this person is '''dramatist'''. Sometimes, dramas are written to be read and not played. In that case, they are called ''closet dramas''. The word ''wright'' does not come from write. It is an ancient [[English language|English]] term for a builder. For example, a ''wheelwright'' makes [[wheel]]s. In a similar way, a playwright makes plays. When the term was first used, it was meant as an [[insult]]. Today it has lost this meaning. ==History== The first playwrights in Western [[literature]] whose plays still exist were the [[Ancient Greece|Ancient Greeks]]. They were written around the 5th century BC. These playwrights are important as they wrote in a way that is still used by modern playwrights. Important among them are [[Aeschylus]], [[Sophocles]], [[Euripides]], and [[Aristophanes]]. The most famous playwright may be [[William Shakespeare]]. A lot of later work is based on his [[tragedy|tragedies]] and [[comedy|comedies]]. For example, ''Kiss Me, Kate'' is based on Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew'', and his ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' has been made again many times. Tom Stoppard created the play ''Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead'' in [[1966]] which is a modern adaptation of ''[[Hamlet]]''. == Modern playwrights == Modern playwrights are usually less famous than past playwrights. Since television and movies were invented, theater has become less popular. Because it is less popular, not as many tickets are sold now, and producers often do not have enough money to make plays, and many playwrights are not known.<ref name=VillageVoice>{{cite web|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/theater/0321,soloski,44226,11.html|title=The Plays What They Wrote|accessdate=2008-03-07|archive-date=2007-12-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071210095919/http://www.vil