Play (theatre)

A play is any instance of theatre primarily characterized by scripted speech: namely, dialogue between characters, monologues, or both. In other words, performers of a play read or memorize their speaking lines from a text, called a script. The script can also be called a play, and its words are intended less to be independently read and more to be performed aloud by actors in front of an audience. The writer and author of any play is known as a playwright. Plays are staged at various levels, ranging from London's West End and New York City's Broadway – the highest echelons of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world – to regional theatre, community theatre, and academic productions at universities and schools. A stage play is specifically crafted for performance on stage, distinct from works meant for broadcast or cinematic adaptation. They are presented on a stage before a live audience. Some dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, have shown little preference for whether their plays are performed or read. The term "play" encompasses the written texts of playwrights and their complete theatrical renditions.