Playwrights

Get into vacation mode with the three iconic “Suite” plays by award-winning playwright Neil Simon, who was born on the Fourth of July.

To celebrate the 45th anniversary of this uproarious farce, we spoke to co-author Billy Van Zandt — and the directors of a few recent productions – to explore the show’s continued success with audiences and creatives alike.

The prolific playwright discusses Curtain Up!, Glorious, The Actress and End of the Rainbow – four unique plays exploring the lives of strong leading women in show business.

Playwright Emily Feldman discusses her play The Best We Could (a family tragedy), a very funny, achingly sad and inexplicably familiar play about a father and daughter’s search for meaning as they travel cross country to adopt a rescue dog.

In Richard Conlon’s dynamic play Hope Springs, rebellion breaks out at a privately run youth correction facility located on a remote island. We sat down with the playwright to discuss his play for young actors.

In this excerpt from his memoir, Leading Lady (Smart Pop, 2023), playwright and actor Charles Busch recounts the moment when he first encountered groundbreaking writer/performer Charles Ludlam, marking the historical union of two theatre greats.

Axoloris: The Musical is an uplifting TYA musical addressing climate change. We caught up with the show’s creator, Sean Mendelson, to discuss his inspiration, vision and hopes for the future.

We recently connected with Brad Ross and Mary Hall Surface, composer and book writer of The Tales of Custard the Dragon, to discuss their meaningful collaboration on the audience-favorite family musical.

Celebrated for his razor-sharp, hilarious satire of the British middle class, Alan Ayckbourn has written 90 full-length plays over a 65-year career. Discover the delightfully entertaining work of this brilliant British playwright.

In celebration of the 125th anniversary of Noël Coward’s birth, here’s a look at the many places visited by the globetrotting playwright, interspersed with brief summaries of the classic stage works he created while traveling.

Playwright Rosary Hartel O’Neill (author of Degas in Paris, The Awakening of Kate Chopin and other plays) and her daughter Rory O’Neill Schmitt discuss their latest collaboration, the nonfiction book Kate Chopin in New Orleans.

How Black Mothers Say I Love You, Trey Anthony’s heartfelt examination of Black womanhood and family, explores identity, loss and mother/daughter relationships. We connected with the playwright to discuss her inspirations behind and within this powerful and touching play.

Ken Ludwig’s Lend Me a Soprano matches his hit Lend Me a Tenor in its doses of comedy while offering a feast of complex comedic roles for female actors.

Celebrated for her lyricism, humor and authenticity, Sarah Ruhl has become one of today’s most decorated and cherished playwrights. Explore the breadth of her storytelling with these five selected works.

What is it like adapting the same story to two different mediums? Joe Tracz, one of the brains behind The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical and Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians, knows all about it. We join the writer for a conversation on reshaping Percy’s epic tale.

A playwright and master of the modern short story, Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) was a pioneer of the late 19th-century Russian school of realism. Explore just a few of his many notable works, from early plays to his most celebrated shows.

Follow playwright Roxy Cook into the fantastical world of A Woman Walks Into a Bank – a powerful portrayal of a country in crisis inspired by childhood fairytales and winner of the 2023 Theatre503 International Playwriting Award.

Birthday Candles, playwright Noah Haidle’s look at one woman’s experience with aging over the course of a century, explores the act of baking a cake as a metaphor for growing old. We touched base with playwright Haidle to discuss the special ingredients hidden within his latest work.

Mr. Burns – a post-electric play, Anne Washburn’s imaginative dark comedy featuring music by Michael Friedman, premiered off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons on September 15, 2013. Ten years after the play’s auspicious opening, we caught up with the playwright to discuss The Simpsons, humor, fear, community and the power of storytelling.

Geek!, Crystal Skillman’s hilarious and fast-paced comedy-drama about the dynamic world of cosplay, premiered in New York City in 2013. To celebrate the show’s 10th anniversary, we caught up with the playwright to discuss the play’s inspiration, themes and enduring appeal.

Mother-daughter author team Rosary O’Neill and Rory O’Neill Schmitt discuss their new book, Edgar Degas in New Orleans.

Dan Goggin, the affable, hilarious, brilliant man behind the Nunsense musicals, turned 80 this year. We sat down with the composer/lyricist/librettist to discuss his career in the theatre and the secret of success for his little musical that became a global phenomenon.

We caught up with playwright Shomit Dutta to discuss his first play, Stumped, an insight into a game of cricket with playwrights Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter.

Playwright Sarah Ruhl warmly recounts her relationship with her mentor and friend Tina Howe, author of Coastal Disturbances, Painting Churches and the newly published Where Women Go.

Deborah Moggach, the author of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, talks with us about the stage adaptation of the Sunday Times bestselling book and beloved film starring Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Bill Nighty.

Join our sleepover with author Matilda Feyiṣayọ Ibini to discuss her new play Sleepova; a frank, funny coming-of-age ode to black women. Get comfy and read Matilda’s thoughts on the play, its characters and her advice for young queer Black women.

Discover expressionism, naturalistic and epic theatre through these five plays written by German playwright and theatre practitioner Bertolt Brecht. Find out how he influenced the next generations of writers, actors and audiences.

The Bard’s classic and timeless characters have been reimagined by author Andrew Shepherd in his epic, romantic, tragic, sci-fi comedy, The Shakespeare Conspiracy. In this conversation, Shepherd shares his love of Shakespeare and explains the creative process behind his ‘real’ and ‘theatre’ worlds.

We interviewed playwright Charlie Josephine for their latest works – the critically acclaimed I, Joan and Monologues for ‘Others’. Find out more their inspirations and creative process behind these titles.

Clown Bar 2 is a hilariously wackadoo sequel to the enormously popular Clown Bar. Playwright Adam Szymkowicz, author of Kodachrome and Marion, or the True Tale of Robin Hood, recounts the tale of the show’s birth.

Siân Owen’s one-woman play follows Katie’s adventure around Newport with a stolen BMX. We spoke to Owen about her monologue, her inspirations and her relationship to Newport.

It’s been five years since the off-Broadway premiere of Puffs! To celebrate, we had a chat with playwright Matt Cox about how the show was written and staged for the first time, and the enduring impact it’s had on audiences worldwide.