Founded in 1981 by Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre is an award-winning professional theatre dedicated to new works for the stage. Located on the campus of Boston University, we produce a season of new work, an annual “marathon” of 10-minute plays, and a festival of teenage writers. As the home of the Boston University graduate Playwriting Program, we host workshops and readings by MFA writers.
At the core of all of our work is our partnership with BU’s renowned English Department, in close collaboration with BU’s School of Theatre, as we educate, train, and nurture the writers of the MFA Playwriting Program. Our alumni have had their work produced in regional and New York houses as well as in London’s West End, and have garnered national, regional, local awards, including Elliot Norton and Independent Reviewers of New England Awards for Outstanding New Script. We count writers Melinda Lopez, Ronán Noone, Molly Smith Metzler, Zayd Dohrn, Alexis Scheer, Eliana Pipes, and Karen Zacarías among our talented alums.
We are located at 949 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, MA, and produce under a New England Association of Theatres Equity (“NEAT”) contract. We are a Boston University program.
Our Mission
Boston Playwrights’ Theatre is a home for new works for the stage. We believe the successful development, production, and promotion of new plays is key to continuing theatrical achievement in Boston and New England, and we measure our success first by a generous dedication to our playwrights’ visions.
Our Curation and Production Values always put playwrights at the center. Read more here.