The Dramatists Guild of America is a professional organization for playwrights, composers, and lyricists working in the U.S. theatre market. A playwright, also known as a dramatist, is a person who writes dramatic literature or drama. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Serge Sudeikins poster for the Bat Theatre (1922). ...

Membership as an Associate Member is open to any person having written at least one stage play. Active Members are playwrights who have had at least one play produced in a Broadway, Off-Broadway, or LORT theatre. Student membership is also available for those enrolled in dramatic writing courses. For other uses of Broadway, see Broadway. ... Off-Broadway plays or musicals are performed in New York City in smaller theatres than Broadway, but larger than Off-Off-Broadway, productions. ... Regional theatres (also called resident theatres) in the United States are professional theatre companies outside of New York City that produce their own seasons. ...

The Dramatists Guild works to negotiate better contracts for playwrights in professional markets and offers recommendations for contracts in other markets. The Business Affairs division assists playwrights by reviewing contracts for productions and maintains a set of contracts for Guild members to use when licensing their work. A contract is a legally binding exchange of promises or agreement between parties that the law will enforce. ...

The Dramatist is a bimonthly journal produced by the Dramatists Guild, which includes articles, interviews, and other information pertinent to playwrights. This article is about the journal as a written medium. ...

History

The organization had its beginnings in 1912, when the Authors' League of America (ALA) was formed by some 350 book and magazine authors, as well as dramatists. In 1921, this group split into two branches of the League: the Dramatists' Guild for writers of radio and stage drama and the Authors Guild for novelists and nonfiction book/magazine authors. Authors Guild is a 86-year-old (as of September 2005) professional group for published writers. ...

External links

• Dramatist Guild Official Website (www.dramatistsguild.com)