MISSION

The Dramatists Guild of America, Inc. is the advocacy organization of professional playwrights and theatrical composers and lyricists in the United States. The mission of the Guild is to focus and articulate the common interests of all dramatic writers. This mission includes not only the representation of those interests which arise directly in connection with theatrical production, but also those broader concerns which affect directly or indirectly the role of the theatre in society.

The Guild carries out its mission by:

• Formulating production contracts;
• Promoting and protecting through these contracts the interests of authors in their works, including their rights of property, artistic integrity and economic compensation, and the conditions under which those works are created and presented;
• Expressing a public opinion as an organization, and through its individual members, on issues which affect the role the dramatic author plays in the theatre and in society in general;
• Working with other theatrical institutions to educate them to the primacy of the author in theatrical production;
• Identifying emerging trends in the theatre, and responding affirmatively and actively on an institutional basis to such trends.

In fulfilling its mission, the Guild responds to broad general principles which advance the role of the dramatist in theatre. Accordingly, the Guild has an affirmative obligation to react to new challenges and opportunities as they develop. The Guild also recognizes that although much of the creative work of authorship is undertaken in isolation, all of those committed to writing for theatre must inevitably balance their broader and long-term interest of the writing community. More experienced authors in particular recognize that they are viewed, especially in their approach to the business of theatre, as role models both by other less-experienced authors and by other theatre professionals. The Guild thus fosters a sense of union and community by constantly reminding its members that if they do not advance together, they do not advance at all.