There are many reasons as to why plays are important to culture. The first is that plays are simply entertaining. They are an enjoyable way to spend an evening, and what is more they are a way to connect to other people through a common enjoyment. Plays are also a way to get across important beliefs and concepts. For example, many comedies mock people for being immoral and vain, and even though it is funny there is usually serious meaning beneath the satyr.
Another reason that plays are so important is because it is a live view of history. The actors and actresses portray a storyline that could have been written hundreds of years prior, but when you are in the theatre witnessing the event it is like being taken back in time. For example, a play by Shakespeare was written in the Old English language and is based on the ideas that were relevant to Shakespeare at the time. Today, someone can drive their brand new 2012 car to the theatre and experience the same things that were important to Shakespeare a long time ago. Also, you can have the same experience as someone who sat through the same play two hundred years ago.
Art