Zora Howard Wants Art to Shake Us
Plus: Richard Thomas revives Hal Holbrook’s ‘Mark Twain Tonight,’ and a listing of world premieres across the U.S.
Stories by Rob Weinert-Kendt
Rob Weinert-Kendt is editor-in-chief of American Theatre. He was the founding editor-in-chief of Back Stage West and writes about theatre for the New York Times, Time Out NY, and the Los Angeles Times. He studied film at USC and is a composer member of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop.
A ‘Working Girl’ Who Just Wants to Have Fun (and Break Glass Ceilings)
Cyndi Lauper and Theresa Rebeck’s new musical at La Jolla Playhouse, based on the hit film, eyes the absurdities of the 1980s work culture—and the inequalities that are still with us.
Bess Wohl: Listening for ‘Liberation’
The playwright talks about her great new feminist play. Plus: the clever comedy of Abby Wambaugh’s ‘The First 3 Minutes of 17 Show,’ Big Bang readings, and more.
Don’t Believe in Yesterday, Learn From It
As we look forward to this year’s theatre season across the U.S., our Fall issue also takes stock of lessons from history.
The Top 20* Most-Produced Playwrights of the 2025-26 Season
The prolific Lauren Gunderson is back on top for the third time (*26 due to ties; list does not count works by Shakespeare).
The Top 10 Most-Produced Plays of the 2025-26 Season
Kiss a fish! The post-9/11 musical ‘Come From Away’ takes the top spot in its first appearance on our list, followed closely by ‘Primary Trust’ and ‘Eureka Day.’
Gender Parity for Playwrights: What the Numbers Say
In the first edition of our new column: a dive into some data about the coming theatre season across the U.S. and in NYC.
‘Eureka Day’ Comes Home to a Different Bay Area
The vaccination-themed farce, born at Berkeley’s Aurora Theatre Company and acclaimed nationwide, is back with a lot of its original team—but not at the original theatre, which has shut down.
The Floods Came for Milwaukee Rep at ‘Worst Possible Time’
A new production facility in a nearby suburb was devastated by water damage, even as the theatre’s main downtown complex is on track to unveil a new renovation.
A New-Play Fest Stands Alone
The Contemporary American Theater Festival is now the only U.S. gathering of its kind that fully stages all its offerings—and that matters more now.
