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.

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 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.

Playwright John J. Caswell, Jr. made a splash off-Broadway with Man Cave, a horrifying look at four Latinas who barricade themselves in the basement of a Republican congressman’s home, and Wet Brain, a family drama about three adult siblings who struggle to care for their alcoholic father. We reached out to John to discuss both plays.

The Glad Game is the late Phoebe Frances Brown’s story; a story of finding yourself in the darkest moments and finding reasons to be glad. Three people who knew and loved Phoebe celebrate her work and honor her memory.

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.

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.

In this feature, learn about playwrights making waves as writers for film and television, and some of their reasons for working in the space.

Pravin Wilkins discusses his play Moreno, which won the 2020 Theatre503 International Playwriting Award.

Get to know the eight Finalists of the 2021 Women’s Prize for Playwriting, of which Concord Theatricals is a proud sponsor.

Explore the dizzying work of one of the most innovative and subjective American playwrights to come out of the 1960s.

To celebrate the extraordinary work that that has been championed by the Alfred Fagon Award over the years, we caught up with some of our authors to hear about what being affiliated with the Award means to them and why it matters in the industry today.

Playwright and author Esther Freud discusses the creative inspiration behind her play Stitchers, which follows the story of Lady Anne Tree as she introduces needlecraft classes to prisoners.

From his infamous Talking Heads monologues to witty depictions of real people, discover the breadth of Alan Bennett’s work through five selected plays.

Playwright Rosary O’Neill has wasted no time in quarantine. Read more about her experiences developing new plays over video calls.

To celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month and National Disability Employment Awareness Month, playwright Lindsey Ferrentino recounts her experience in casting Amy and the Orphans.

“One of the things both my grandfather and dad have both talked a lot about is belonging to the ‘Family of Actors.’” Beau Bridges and Emily Bridges present their musings on writing Acting: The First Six Lessons.

Michael Patrick and Oisín Kearney discuss writing My Left Nut and The Alternative.

“If the play is played for truth, then humour, humanity and the emotional honesty of the characters will come through.“ Bill Rosenfield shares an insight into writing 46 Beacon.

Nick Payne, author of critically acclaimed plays such as Constellations and If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet, shares an insight into his creative process.

Playwright Peter Quilter chats about his first Broadway play, End of the Rainbow, and its journey to the silver screen in Judy.

How do Neil Simon’s comedies, with their white, mostly middle-class, mostly urban New York Jewish characters, continue to draw audiences across the globe? Why do they hold up for decades after they were written, with nine of his plays surpassing the half-century mark? Dramaturg Susan Myer Silton explores the enduring relevancy of one of the masters of comedy: Neil Simon.

The bond between playwright and actor can be an incredible one. Playwright Crystal Skillman talks with actor Megan Hill about such magical bond.

Four titles, a nine-year gestation, an ever-changing cast, and a forever friendship.

Henry Filloux-Bennett discusses adapting Nigel Slater’s autobiography Toast for the stage, why food is at the heart of the show, and advice for future performers.

Tabitha Mortiboy shares an insight into writing The Amber Trap.

Jack Bradfield of Poltergeist discusses creating the play Lights Over Tesco Car Park and offers advice on how to stage it yourself.

Playwright Phil Porter shares an insight in his creative process and rewriting Roman comedy in classical farce Vice Versa.

Monica Dolan discusses writing and performing in her one-woman play, The B*easts.

Nathan Alan Davis is the author of Dontrell Who Kissed the Sea, Nat Turner in Jerusalem, and many others, sat down with Samuel French Professional Licensing Representative Nikki Przasnyski to discuss his work

Learn about the experience of creating a show with Ken Ludwig at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, Virginia. This article is part of our Samuel French Awards Series honoring several playwrights, including Ken Ludwig.