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Writers

The playwrights, composers, lyricists and book writers behind the shows. Follow one into their shows and wherever those shows are playing.

New to theater? A musical usually has three writers: music, lyrics and the book (the spoken scenes). Here is how a show comes together. Plays, musicals, and the kinds in between · 6 min How to read a Playbill · 5 min A short history of American theater · 8 min All guides →

Bryan Adams

Writer

Lyn Adams

Writer

Richard Adler

Writer

Aesop

Writer

Step Afrika!

Writer

Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa

Writer

Melis Aker

Writer

Edward Albee

Writer

Luis Alfaro

Writer

Jamie Allan

Writer

Harry Allard

Writer

Preston Max Allen

Writer

Woody Allen

Writer

Julia Alvarez

Writer

Hans Christian Andersen

Writer

Christina Anderson

Writer

Kristen Anderson-Lopez

Writer

Benny Andersson

Writer

Liza Anne

Writer

Terence Anthony

Writer

Ngozi Anyanwu

Writer

Harold Arlen

Writer

Heidi Armbruster

Writer

Billie Joe Armstrong

Writer

Will Aronson

Writer

Atra Asdou

Writer

Aurora Real de Asua

Writer

Roberto Athayde

Writer

Kate Attwell

Writer

Margaret Atwood

Writer

David Auburn

Writer

Jane Austen

Writer

Jon Robin Baitz

Writer

Sara Bareilles

Writer

Gary Barlow

Writer

Patrick Barlow

Writer

J. M. Barrie

Writer

J.M. Barrie

Writer

Clare Barron

Writer

Dave Barry

Writer

Lionel Bart

Writer

Fred Barton

Writer

Katie Barton

Writer

Kyle Bass

Writer

Richard Bean

Writer

Roger Bean

Writer

Samuel Beckett

Writer

Jessica Bedford

Writer

Kimberly Belflower

Writer

Ludwig Bemelmans

Writer

Laura Benanti

Writer

Katie Bender

Writer

Benjamin Benne

Writer

Eleanor Bergstein

Writer

Irving Berlin

Writer

Erica Berman

Writer

Leonard Bernstein

Writer

Amy Berryman

Writer

Hilary Bettis

Writer

Jocelyn Bioh

Writer

Jerry Bock

Writer

Charlotte Booker

Writer

Eboni Booth

Writer

Brendan Bourque-Sheil

Writer

Jeff Bowen

Writer

Kayla Boye

Writer

Ray Bradbury

Writer

Austin Brady

Writer

George Brant

Writer

Stephen Bray

Writer

Bertolt Brecht

Writer

Deborah Brevoort

Writer

Charlotte Bronte

Writer

J. Nicole Brooks

Writer

Mel Brooks

Writer

Carlyle Brown

Writer

Dan Brown

Writer

Jason Robert Brown

Writer

Marc Brown

Writer

Margaret Wise Brown

Writer

Mark Brown

Writer

Nacio Herb Brown

Writer

Scott Brown

Writer

Joe Brumm

Writer

Kathryn Chase Bryer

Writer

Betty Buckley

Writer

Eleanor Burgess

Writer

Frances Hodgson Burnett

Writer

Jonathan Burns

Writer

Joe Calarco

Writer

Sheila Callaghan

Writer

Stacey Isom Campbell

Writer

Jack Canfora

Writer

Frank Capra

Writer

John Cariani

Writer

Eric Carle

Writer

Michael Carleton

Writer

Guadalís Del Carmen

Writer

Lewis Carroll

Writer

Shana Carroll

Writer

Scott Carter

Writer

Johnny Cash

Writer

Audrey Cefaly

Writer

Laura Maria Censabella

Writer

Susanna Centlivre

Writer

Mary Chase

Writer

Jeffry Chastang

Writer

Paddy Chayefsky

Writer

Anton Chekhov

Writer

Christopher Chen

Writer

Angelica Chéri

Writer

Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer

Writer

Alice Childress

Writer

Ins Choi

Writer

Heather Chrisler

Writer

Agatha Christie

Writer

Brandy Clark

Writer

Darren Clark

Writer

Pearl Cleage

Writer

Chelsea Clinton

Writer

Gloria Bond Clunie

Writer

Eric Coble

Writer

Paula Coco

Writer

Jack D. Coen

Writer

Cy Coleman

Writer

Peter Colley

Writer

Lynne Conner

Writer

Pat Cook

Writer

Kate Cortesi

Writer

Oliver Cotton

Writer

Noel Coward

Writer

Cressida Cowell

Writer

Matt Cox

Writer

Luke Cresswell

Writer

Billy Crystal

Writer

Lisa D'Amour

Writer

Chris D'Arienzo

Writer

Roald Dahl

Writer

Sean Daniels

Writer

David Darrow

Writer

Eisa Davis

Writer

Philip Dawkins

Writer

Gabriel Jason Dean

Writer

Fabiola Decius

Writer

Zola Dee

Writer

John Denver

Writer

Vinny DePonto

Writer

Helen DeWitt

Writer

Lydia R. Diamond

Writer

Neil Diamond

Writer

Kristoffer Diaz

Writer

Kate DiCamillo

Writer

Charles Dickens

Writer

Alexander Dinelaris

Writer

Joe DiPietro

Writer

Colman Domingo

Writer

Julia Donaldson

Writer

Maripat Donovan

Writer

Jackie Sibblies Drury

Writer

Tom Dudzick

Writer

Alexandre Dumas

Writer

Christopher Durang

Writer

Friedrich Dürrenmatt

Writer

Ted Dykstra

Writer

P.D. Eastman

Writer

Jonathan Eig

Writer

Harley Elias

Writer

Rick Elice

Writer

Margaret Engel

Writer

Cole Escola

Writer

Colin Escott

Writer

Sean Evans

Writer

Kareem Fahmy

Writer

David Farr

Writer

Nina Faso

Writer

Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Writer

Larissa FastHorse

Writer

Hershey Felder

Writer

Edna Ferber

Writer

Monk Ferris

Writer

Tina Fey

Writer

Selina Fillinger

Writer

Crystal Finn

Writer

William Finn

Writer

Tim Firth

Writer

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Writer

Stephen Flaherty

Writer

Kathleen Fletcher

Writer

Tom Fletcher

Writer

Horton Foote

Writer

Katie Forgette

Writer

David Foster

Writer

William Francis

Writer

Michael Frayn

Writer

Don Freeman

Writer

Max Wolf Friedlich

Writer

Mo Gaffney

Writer

Larry Gallagher

Writer

Gracie Gardner

Writer

Bob Gaudio

Writer

Jonathan Reid Gealt

Writer

Barbara Gehring

Writer

Jon Gentry

Writer

Mark St. Germain

Writer

George Gershwin

Writer

Clark Gesner

Writer

Thomas Gibbons

Writer

Rebecca Gilman

Writer

Scott Gilmour

Writer

Susan Glaspell

Writer

Rudi Goblen

Writer

Dan Goggin

Writer

Nikolai Gogol

Writer

James Goldman

Writer

William Goldman

Writer

Oliver Goldsmith

Writer

Isaac Gómez

Writer

José Cruz González

Writer

Frances Goodrich

Writer

Michael Gore

Writer

Ed Graczyk

Writer

James Graham

Writer

Ricky Graham

Writer

Daniel Green

Writer

Keiko Green

Writer

Gordon Greenberg

Writer

Richard Greenberg

Writer

Ellie Greenwich

Writer

D. W. Gregory

Writer

Sean Grennan

Writer

Jacob Grimm

Writer

Wilhelm Grimm

Writer

John Guare

Writer

Dylan Guerra

Writer

Adam Guettel

Writer

Yussef El Guindi

Writer

Stephen Adly Guirgis

Writer

Lauren Gunderson

Writer

A.R. Gurney

Writer

Adam Gwon

Writer

Ryan J. Haddad

Writer

Jennifer Haley

Writer

Katori Hall

Writer

Lee Hall

Writer

Bryce Hallett

Writer

Kate Hamill

Writer

Patrick Hamilton

Writer

Marvin Hamlisch

Writer

Mark Hampton

Writer

Glen Hansard

Writer

Lorraine Hansberry

Writer

David Hare

Writer

Robert Harling

Writer

Joshua Harmon

Writer

Aleshea Harris

Writer

Jordan Harrison

Writer

Jeffrey Hatcher

Writer

Michel Hausmann

Writer

Leslye Headland

Writer

Brendan Healy

Writer

Ben Hecht

Writer

Richard Hellesen

Writer

Kevin Henkes

Writer

Beth Henley

Writer

Kate Hennig

Writer

Jim Henson

Writer

Jerry Herman

Writer

Amy Herzog

Writer

DJ Hills

Writer

S.E. Hinton

Writer

Lucas Hnath

Writer

Ginna Hoben

Writer

Michael Hollinger

Writer

Mark Hollmann

Writer

Levi Holloway

Writer

Rupert Holmes

Writer

Homer

Writer

James Howe

Writer

Quiara Alegría Hudes

Writer

Justin Huertas

Writer

Langston Hughes

Writer

Victor Hugo

Writer

Samuel D. Hunter

Writer

Arlene Hutton

Writer

David Henry Hwang

Writer

Beth Hyland

Writer

Henrik Ibsen

Writer

Joe Iconis

Writer

Eric Idle

Writer

James Ijames

Writer

Michael Ellis Ingram

Writer

Eugène Ionesco

Writer

Washington Irving

Writer

Mark Jackson

Writer

Michael R. Jackson

Writer

Anna K. Jacobs

Writer

Jim Jacobs

Writer

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

Writer

Henry James

Writer

Alan Janes

Writer

Kyle Jarrow

Writer

Lindsay Joelle

Writer

Elton John

Writer

Dorothy M. Johnson

Writer

JuCoby Johnson

Writer

Randy Johnson

Writer

Cara Johnston

Writer

Sarah Jones

Writer

Walton Jones

Writer

Rajiv Joseph

Writer

James Joyce

Writer

Mindy Kaling

Writer

John Kander

Writer

John Kani

Writer

Jeremy Kareken

Writer

George S. Kaufman

Writer

Moisés Kaufman

Writer

Ezra Jack Keats

Writer

Matthew J. Keenan

Writer

Carolyn Keene

Writer

Gloria Calderón Kellett

Writer

Hiroko Kelly

Writer

Kait Kerrigan

Writer

Joseph Kesselring

Writer

Lyle Kessler

Writer

Alicia Keys

Writer

Leslie Kimbell

Writer

Carole King

Writer

Stephen King

Writer

Joe Kinosian

Writer

Wayne Kirkpatrick

Writer

Lucy Kirkwood

Writer

David Kirshenbaum

Writer

Sam Kissajukian

Writer

Dan Kitrosser

Writer

Tom Kitt

Writer

Jon Klassen

Writer

Katie Kleiger

Writer

Frederick Knott

Writer

Amir Reza Koohestani

Writer

Michael Kooman

Writer

Henry Krieger

Writer

Madeleine L'Engle

Writer

Neil LaBute

Writer

Arun Lakra

Writer

Lisa Lambert

Writer

Joe Landry

Writer

Lisa Langford

Writer

Annie Lareau

Writer

Jonathan Larson

Writer

Deborah Zoe Laufer

Writer

Cyndi Lauper

Writer

Shirley Lauro

Writer

Jerome Lawrence

Writer

Harper Lee

Writer

John Leguizamo

Writer

Warren Leight

Writer

Katie Hae Leo

Writer

Tracy Letts

Writer

C.S. Lewis

Writer

E.M. Lewis

Writer

Henry Lewis

Writer

Huey Lewis

Writer

Ying Ying Li

Writer

Matthew Libby

Writer

Alex Lin

Writer

Grace Lin

Writer

Evan Linder

Writer

Jeanie Linders

Writer

David Lindsay-Abaire

Writer

Andrew Lippa

Writer

Eric Litwin

Writer

Jeffrey Lodin

Writer

Frank Loesser

Writer

Frederick Loewe

Writer

Matthew Lombardo

Writer

Adam Long

Writer

Melinda Long

Writer

Lisa Loomer

Writer

Matthew Lopez

Writer

Melinda Lopez

Writer

Ken Ludwig

Writer

Steven Lutvak

Writer

Douglas Lyons

Writer

Galt MacDermot

Writer

David MacGregor

Writer

Eduardo Machado

Writer

Whit MacLaughlin

Writer

Duncan Macmillan

Writer

Jennifer Maisel

Writer

Stephen Mallatratt

Writer

David Mamet

Writer

Aasif Mandvi

Writer

Barry Manilow

Writer

Mario Marchese

Writer

Donald Margulies

Writer

Johnny Marks

Writer

Bob Marley

Writer

Toby Marlow

Writer

Yann Martel

Writer

Bill Martin Jr.

Writer

Hugh Martin

Writer

Max Martin

Writer

Steve Martin

Writer

William Martinez

Writer

Mel Marvin

Writer

Stefano Massini

Writer

Lisa Matsumoto

Writer

Julia Mattison

Writer

Marius von Mayenburg

Writer

Tarell Alvin McCraney

Writer

Martin McDonagh

Writer

Gabe McKinley

Writer

Conor McPherson

Writer

Cirque Mechanics

Writer

Charles L. Mee

Writer

John Mellencamp

Writer

Ivan Menchell

Writer

Alan Menken

Writer

Daniel Messe

Writer

Ingrid Michaelson

Writer

Arthur Miller

Writer

Chris Miller

Writer

Suzie Miller

Writer

A. A. Milne

Writer

A.A. Milne

Writer

Tim Minchin

Writer

Jacob Ming-Trent

Writer

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Writer

Anais Mitchell

Writer

Naysan Mojgani

Writer

Molière

Writer

Talene Monahon

Writer

Clement Clarke Moore

Writer

Julianne Moore

Writer

Pat Mora

Writer

Dominique Morisseau

Writer

Alanis Morissette

Writer

John Morton

Writer

David Nehls

Writer

Richard Nelson

Writer

Mara Nelson-Greenberg

Writer

Qui Nguyen

Writer

Christopher Nightingale

Writer

Ronan Noone

Writer

Marsha Norman

Writer

Bruce Norris

Writer

Jonathan Norton

Writer

Lynn Nottage

Writer

Laura Joffe Numeroff

Writer

Richard O'Brien

Writer

Flannery O'Connor

Writer

Laurence O'Keefe

Writer

Eugene O'Neill

Writer

Ellen Bryan Obed

Writer

Clifford Odets

Writer

Jessie Oliveros

Writer

Abigail C. Onwunali

Writer

Marisela Trevino Orta

Writer

George Orwell

Writer

Mary Pope Osborne

Writer

Patrick Page

Writer

Barbara Park

Writer

Pamela Parker

Writer

Trey Parker

Writer

Suzan-Lori Parks

Writer

Dolly Parton

Writer

Benj Pasek

Writer

John Patrick

Writer

Cinco Paul

Writer

Gene de Paul

Writer

a.k. payne

Writer

David Payne

Writer

Nick Payne

Writer

Carmen Pelaez

Writer

Matt de la Peña

Writer

Maria Perez-Gomez

Writer

Eddie Perfect

Writer

Phanésia Pharel

Writer

John Pielmeier

Writer

Dav Pilkey

Writer

Winsome Pinnock

Writer

Harold Pinter

Writer

Watty Piper

Writer

Eliana Pipes

Writer

Edgar Allan Poe

Writer

Sharon Pollock

Writer

Sara Porkalob

Writer

Cole Porter

Writer

Max Posner

Writer

Beatrix Potter

Writer

Kemp Powers

Writer

Elvis Presley

Writer

J.B. Priestley

Writer

Prince

Writer

Jessica Provenz

Writer

Audley Puglisi

Writer

Deborah Wicks La Puma

Writer

Brian Quijada

Writer

Marco Ramirez

Writer

Adam Rapp

Writer

Terence Rattigan

Writer

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Writer

Connie Ray

Writer

Robert Reale

Writer

Theresa Rebeck

Writer

Ro Reddick

Writer

George Reinblatt

Writer

Brazil Remani

Writer

Yasmina Reza

Writer

Tania Richard

Writer

Jacob Richmond

Writer

Michele Riml

Writer

Christopher Rivas

Writer

Lanie Robertson

Writer

Joseph Robinette

Writer

Barbara Robinson

Writer

Matthew Lee Robinson

Writer

Richard Rodgers

Writer

Tiago Rodrigues

Writer

Alejandro Rodriguez

Writer

Rob Rokicki

Writer

George A. Romero

Writer

Reginald Rose

Writer

Charles Ross

Writer

Stuart Ross

Writer

Edmond Rostand

Writer

Peter Rothstein

Writer

Sharyn Rothstein

Writer

Adam Rubin

Writer

Seth Rudetsky

Writer

Alex Rugman

Writer

Sarah Ruhl

Writer

Willy Russell

Writer

Sandy Rustin

Writer

Louis Sachar

Writer

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Writer

Mark Saltzman

Writer

KJ Sanchez

Writer

Irene Sankoff

Writer

Zoe Sarnak

Writer

Laddy Sartin

Writer

Sharone Sayegh

Writer

Matt Schatz

Writer

Alexis Scheer

Writer

Benjamin Scheuer

Writer

Harvey Schmidt

Writer

Mark Schoenfeld

Writer

Heidi Schreck

Writer

Charles M. Schulz

Writer

Stephen Schwartz

Writer

Devin Scillian

Writer

James Scully

Writer

Dr. Seuss

Writer

Vanessa Severo

Writer

Peter Shaffer

Writer

Marc Shaiman

Writer

William Shakespeare

Writer

Mark Shanahan

Writer

John Patrick Shanley

Writer

George Bernard Shaw

Writer

Ian Shaw

Writer

Duncan Sheik

Writer

Mary Shelley

Writer

James Sherman

Writer

David Shire

Writer

Del Shores

Writer

Larry Shue

Writer

Jen Silverman

Writer

Lucy Simon

Writer

Neil Simon

Writer

Nina Simone

Writer

Crystal Skillman

Writer

Matthew Sklar

Writer

Charlie Smalls

Writer

Ashley Smiley

Writer

Deborah Salem Smith

Writer

Dodie Smith

Writer

Kelundra Smith

Writer

Lance Arthur Smith

Writer

Michael Jerome Smith

Writer

Paul Slade Smith

Writer

Roger Guenveur Smith

Writer

Tom Smith

Writer

Tom Snow

Writer

Cirque du Soleil

Writer

Stephen Sondheim

Writer

Paul Soniat

Writer

Sophocles

Writer

Aaron Sorkin

Writer

Britney Spears

Writer

Jonathan Spector

Writer

SpitLip

Writer

Jenny Stafford

Writer

John Steinbeck

Writer

John Stephens

Writer

Simon Stephens

Writer

George Stevens Jr.

Writer

Sufjan Stevens

Writer

Robert Louis Stevenson

Writer

Stew

Writer

George Stiles

Writer

James Still

Writer

R.L. Stine

Writer

Jeffrey Stock

Writer

Bram Stoker

Writer

Chadwick Stokes

Writer

Tom Stoppard

Writer

Chuck Strand

Writer

Richard Strand

Writer

Elizabeth Streb

Writer

August Strindberg

Writer

Paul Stroili

Writer

Charles Strouse

Writer

DeLanna Studi

Writer

Dan Studney

Writer

Jule Styne

Writer

Lloyd Suh

Writer

Arthur Sullivan

Writer

Mary Hall Surface

Writer

C. Denby Swanson

Writer

Ted Swindley

Writer

Shaina Taub

Writer

Nicole Taylor

Writer

Regina Taylor

Writer

Jeanine Tesori

Writer

Ernest Thompson

Writer

Jack Thorne

Writer

Jonathan Tolins

Writer

J.R.R. Tolkien

Writer

Sanaz Toossi

Writer

Pete Townshend

Writer

Stephen Trask

Writer

Kate Trefry

Writer

April Genevieve Tucholke

Writer

Bryna Turner

Writer

Mark Twain

Writer

Bobbi Twiggs

Writer

Mfoniso Udofia

Writer

James Valcq

Writer

Karin Valecillos

Writer

Val Vigoda

Writer

Paula Vogel

Writer

Bernard Waber

Writer

Laura Wade

Writer

Rachel Wagstaff

Writer

Stephanie Alison Walker

Writer

York Walker

Writer

Fats Waller

Writer

Harry Warren

Writer

Anne Washburn

Writer

Dale Wasserman

Writer

Brian Watkins

Writer

Emma Watkins

Writer

Andrew Lloyd Webber

Writer

Kurt Weill

Writer

Else Went

Writer

Calamity West

Writer

Cheryl L. West

Writer

E. B. White

Writer

Sharr White

Writer

Oscar Wilde

Writer

Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder

Writer

Gene Wilder

Writer

Thornton Wilder

Writer

Frank Wildhorn

Writer

Mo Willems

Writer

A. Zell Williams

Writer

Margery Williams

Writer

Tennessee Williams

Writer

Meredith Willson

Writer

Archie Wilson

Writer

August Wilson

Writer

Lanford Wilson

Writer

Leah Nanako Winkler

Writer

Jim Wise

Writer

P.G. Wodehouse

Writer

Bess Wohl

Writer

George C. Wolfe

Writer

Jones Hope Wooten

Writer

Doug Wright

Writer

R. Hamilton Wright

Writer

Jacob Yandura

Writer

Susan Yassky

Writer

David Yazbek

Writer

Habib Yazdi

Writer

Lauren Yee

Writer

Maury Yeston

Writer

Marcus Yi

Writer

Steve Yockey

Writer

avery r. young

Writer

Karen Zacarias

Writer

Suzan Zeder

Writer

Don Zolidis

Writer