Play (theatre)

A play is a dramatic composition that is meant to be performed rather than read aloud. It is often composed mostly of conversation between characters and is designed for theatrical performance rather than reading. A playwright is the person who writes the script for the a play.

There are many different levels of performance for plays, ranging from the West End of London and Broadway in New York City – which are the highest levels of commercial theater in the English-speaking world – to regional theatre, community theatre, and university or school performances. Rather than being broadcast or turned into a movie, a stage play is a play that is played on stage and is written for theatrical performance. Stage plays are those that are presented in front of an audience on any stage. There were just few dramatists, such notably George Bernard Shaw, who have expressed no preference as to whether their plays should be performed or read aloud. It is possible to refer to both the written texts of playwrights and the full theatrical presentation of their works as "plays."