Knowing and understanding industry terminology is vital to negotiating and working in the theatre. From time to time, we will be highlighting terminology that is important for all dramatists to understand.
dram•a•tist ['drämedest, 'dramedest]
(noun) 1. A person who writes for theatre. 2. The collective noun for playwrights, composers, lyricists, and librettist who write for theatre.
Many dictionaries define dramatist as a synonym for the word playwright. Sometime between 1912 – 1919, the subcommittee of theatre writers at the Author’s League decided to repurpose and slightly redefine the word dramatist to represent all those who write for the theatre, calling themselves the Dramatists Guild. Today, the Guild continues the usage of this noun, collectively describing all its members.
