Definitions Flashcards
Playwright
a person who writes plays, sometimes called a dramatist.
A “wright”
is a craftsperson who builds things - shipwright, wheelwright, cartwright, etc.
(Pioneer) Hrosvitha
was a 10th Century German nun. Historians consider her the first playwright since ancient times.
Lorraine Hansberry
was the first African-American woman to have a play performed on Broadway. She was also an activist and a director before dying of pancreatic cancer in 1965.
Bertolt Brecht
was a German playwright who created his own style of theatre that encouraged the audience’s detachment.
Sarah Ruhl
is a modern playwright whose plays are nonlinear and creative, often crossing into magical realism.
Cristopher Marlowe
was an Elizabethan playwright described as a spy, a heretic, and a brawler. He was stabbed to death in a bar fight.
Lope de Vega
was a playwright during Spain’s Golden Age. He was a sailor, a priest, and was exiled for an affair. 450 of his plays survive.
