How to Credit a Playwright, Translator and Adapter

The short answer is to credit each contribution on its own terms. The playwright is credited as the author of the play; the translator as the maker of the specific translation; the adapter as the maker of the adaptation or version. If an adaptation uses an existing translation, credit the translator as well as the adapter. Put those credits in the licence, script title page, programme, publicity, surtitles, recording and catalogue record, using the same wording each time. Agree the exact credit line in writing before the production is announced.

This sounds bureaucratic, but it solves a practical problem. A single ‘by’ line cannot tell an audience, a publisher, a festival or a future researcher which text is being performed and who is accountable for it. Precise credit also helps producers license the right version and pay the right people.

Playwright, translator, adapter: what the roles mean

The playwright writes the dramatic text. The translator renders that text from one language into another; the translation is a distinct literary and theatrical work, not a transparent copy of the original. The adapter reworks a text for a particular production, audience, length, period, style or performance form. A version is often a staged adaptation, but the word is used loosely. A literal translation, a singing translation and a free adaptation are different contributions and should not be collapsed into one credit.

These distinctions matter in multilingual theatre. A company may commission a literal translation for rehearsal, then ask a playwright or dramaturg to make a performable version. In that case, the literal translator, the version-maker and the original playwright may all have claims to credit. The programme should say what each person did, not assign everyone the same title. Where a production uses surtitles, the surtitle text may be a separate abridgement or translation; if so, credit that work accurately rather than implying that it is simply the script translation.

MLA guidance on contributors offers a useful principle for all theatre documentation: whenever a contributor is listed, include a label describing the role played, and treat translators as key contributors in MLA 9 citations (Buena Vista University, ‘Contributors’). That is citation advice, not a contract, but the underlying habit is sound: name the role, not just the person.

Why the credit line is more than courtesy

Credits identify authorship and responsibility. They also have economic and legal weight. In Spain, the ACE Traductores and ADE code of good practice states that a translator is the author of the translation and holds inalienable rights; it warns that using existing translations and changing or refashioning them without the translators’ approval can amount to abusive exploitation of another’s work and an offence against intellectual property (ACE Traductores and ADE, Código de buenas prácticas). That is a jurisdiction-specific statement, but it demonstrates why ‘adapted by’ cannot be allowed to erase the translator.

For new translations, the PGC Translation Guidelines 2015 recommend a signed letter of agreement between playwright and translator before work begins. The agreement is meant to settle royalty splits, billing, territorial rights and other terms before the production contract is drawn up (PGC Translation Guidelines 2015). The guidance is not a universal statute; contracts and collecting societies differ by country. It is, however, a practical warning against leaving credit and payment to opening week.

Crediting on scripts, programmes and publicity

The script and the licence

The licence or production contract should identify the text being used: the original play, an existing translation, a new translation, an adaptation, or an adaptation based on a named translation. It should also state the approved credit wording, order, relative size and placement. If a translator is commissioned, the agreement should address billing and royalties; the PGC guidelines recommend doing this before translation begins. If an adapter is engaged, the contract should define whether the adapter is working from the original language, from a literal translation, or from a pre-existing published translation. That choice affects whose permission and credit may be needed.

Programme and billing

A clear programme line separates the roles: Title, by [playwright]; translated by [translator]; adapted by [adapter]. If the adapter works from a named translation, add ‘based on the translation by [translator]’ or give the translator a separate line. Do not use ‘by [adapter]’ as the only author credit when the production is an adaptation of someone else’s play. If one person performed both translation and adaptation, ‘translated and adapted by’ can be accurate, but only if that person actually did both tasks. If not, keep the roles separate.

Where a translator is also the playwright, follow the actual version and the contract. MLA Style Center advises that if the version of the work indicates that the author is also the translator, repeat the author’s last name in the ‘Other contributor’ slot; if the work is known to be translated by its author but is not presented as a translation, do not list the author as translator, and mention the fact in prose or an endnote (MLA Style Center). The same care applies in a theatre programme: do not add a translator credit that the published text does not support, but do not omit a translator who is credited in the version being performed.

Publicity, surtitles and recordings

Marketing often shortens credits, so the full approved block should travel with the production’s press materials. A venue should not rewrite the credit line to fit a poster. For surtitles, name the translation used and its translator in the programme; if the surtitle text is separately prepared, credit that preparation as its own role. For recordings and streaming, carry the same credits in the title cards, description and catalogue metadata. A recording is a document of a specific version, not just of the play.

What ‘adapter’ and ‘version’ should mean in practice

Translation carries a text across languages; adaptation changes the dramatic text for a production or context. A ‘version’ may be a new adaptation, a cut, a relocation, a change of period or a free reworking. Because these terms are not used identically in every theatre culture or legal system, the contract should define the task. A German Bearbeitung, a Spanish versión and an English ‘adaptation’ may overlap, but they do not automatically mean the same thing. In an international programme, it can help to give the local role title and a short English explanation.

When an adaptation uses an existing translation as raw material, the adapter may need permission from the translator as well as from the playwright’s publisher or estate. The ACE Traductores and ADE code highlights the problem of using existing translations and ‘versions’ without naming or remunerating the translator; those are Spanish recommendations, not a universal rule, but the warning travels well. A production that treats a translation as invisible labour creates a credit problem and a rights risk at the same time.

A dramaturg, literal translator or translation consultant may also contribute. Credit them with their actual role rather than calling them an adapter or playwright. If their contribution is substantial and the contract treats them as a co-creator, that should be stated explicitly. Otherwise, a role label such as ‘translation consultant’ or ‘literal translation’ is clearer and more honest.

Citation and archival description

MLA 9 handles contributors through its Contributor element. Translators are key contributors, and a role label should accompany each name (Buena Vista University). For an adaptation, citation practice is less standardised: record what the source actually credits, and do not silently turn the adapter into the sole author. In archive metadata, use separate fields for playwright, translator, adapter or version-maker, director, company, date, venue, language and production title. This prevents the translator from disappearing into an ‘author’ field and the adapter from disappearing altogether.

When citing a live performance, cite the production and reproduce the roles as given in the programme. If the programme conflicts with the licence, note the discrepancy rather than harmonising it without comment. For published play texts, check the title page and copyright page; those are the primary evidence for the credits attached to that version.

A practical credit checklist

• Identify the text being licensed: original play, existing translation, new translation, adaptation or version.
• Name every creative role with a precise label: playwright, translator, adapter, version-maker, dramaturg, literal translator or translation consultant.
• Agree credit wording, order, size and placement in writing with all rights holders before publicity.
• Use the same credit block in the contract, script, programme, website, press release, surtitles, recording and archive record.
• When an adaptation uses an existing translation, credit the translator separately and check whether permission is needed.
• If one person performs several roles, state each role only when it is accurate: ‘translated and adapted by’ is not a shortcut for ‘translated by someone, adapted by someone else’.
• For MLA citation, use the Contributor element and role labels; follow MLA guidance when the translator is also the author.
• Keep a dated credit record in the production file so that later revivals and tours do not reconstruct the credits from memory.

Common mistakes

The most common error is a single author line that hides a translation. Close behind is the use of ‘translated by’ for a free adaptation, or ‘adapted by’ for a translation. Another is crediting the adapter but not the translator whose published translation was used as the base. A fourth is treating the programme as the only place where credit matters; contracts, recordings and catalogue records need the same information. Finally, avoid the vague ‘English version by’ unless the contract defines what ‘version’ means. A precise label is less elegant but more useful.

Hypothetical illustration. A programme for a new English-language staging might read: Title, by [playwright]; translated by [translator]; adapted by [adapter]; based on the translation by [translator]. This is an illustration of structure, not a real production credit; the actual wording should come from the licence and the collaborators’ agreement.

International production note

In co-productions and tours, the receiving venue, festival or presenter should receive the approved credit block with the production pack. Local programme conventions may vary, but they should not remove a role. For rights, royalties, translation permissions and contract questions, verify the position in the relevant jurisdiction with the publisher, playwright’s agent, translator’s collecting society or a qualified lawyer. Credit is part of the agreement, not a decorative afterthought.