It’s something that sprang up because of the classics rule, where plays were getting revival, which goes to producers, without having the chance to compete for best play, which goes to playwright and then producers.
So, for the first Broadway production of a “classic”, the writer is also credited, as happened with August Wilson and Jitney, and now also extends to translation/adaptations of classics.
Perhaps they should just credit all of the writers in a revival, regardless of previous productions. |
