Test Your Knowledge of Play Genres

Overview of Different Types of Plays

• A play is a dramatic work, mostly consisting of dialogue between characters and meant for theatrical performance.
• Plays can be performed at different levels, from regional theatre to Broadway and West End.
• There are different genres of plays, including comedy, farce, satire, restoration comedy, tragedy, historical, musical theatre, theatre of cruelty, and theatre of the absurd.
• Comedies are designed to be humorous, while farces are nonsensical and often have humor. Satire takes a comic look at current events while making a political or social statement.
• Restoration comedy explores relationships between men and women and was considered risqué in its time.
• Tragedies have darker themes like death and disaster and often feature a protagonist with a tragic flaw.
• Historical plays focus on actual historical events, and musical theatre productions have songs and dance to explain the story.
• Theatre of cruelty originated in the 1940s and aimed to symbolize the subconscious through bodily performances.
• Theatre of the absurd includes metaphysical representations of existential qualms and questions.
• The term "play" can refer to a non-musical play, and "script" refers to the written text of the play.
• A play is usually divided into acts and scenes, and stage directions indicate the manner of delivery of the text and sounds to be produced off-stage.