About

Who We Are

Playwrights Horizons is a writer's theater dedicated to the development of contemporary American playwrights, and to the production of innovative new work. In a city rich with cultural offerings, Playwrights Horizons' 52-year-old mission is unique; we have distinguished ourselves by a steadfast commitment to centering and advancing the voice of the playwright. It’s a mission that is always timely, and one that’s necessary in the ongoing evolution of theater in this country.

We believe that playwrights are the great storytellers of our time, offering essential contributions to civic discourse and illuminating life’s greatest paradoxes. And we believe in the singularity of a writer’s voice, valuing the broad, eclectic spectrum and diversity of American writers. Here, writers are supported in every stage of their growth through our New Works Lab, PoP Master Class series, Soundstage audio program; the Lighthouse Project; and Almanac, our digital magazine.

We present a season of productions annually on our two stages, each of which is a World, American or New York premiere.  Much like our work, our audience is risk-taking and adventurous; and we’re committed to strengthening their engagement and feeding their curiosity through all of our programming, onsite and online.

Playwrights Horizons Theater School

We are also an undergraduate theater program that offers an innovative four-year multidisciplinary training program that is consistently ranked as one of the best undergraduate training studios in the country.

Recognizing the diverse needs and ambitions of the 21st century theater artist, Playwrights Horizons Theater School is the only undergraduate studio training actors, directors, designers, choreographers, playwrights, and creators of devised work in a single setting at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Our collaborative program is dedicated to the principle that each student is a whole artist to be nurtured, challenged and celebrated.

Our Commitment

Playwrights Horizons commits to anti-racism in building a more just future for everyone — particularly those from historically oppressed communities, including the Lenape nation, whose land is home to our work. We acknowledge that the US theater is born of a country founded on white supremacy and anti-Blackness, and we are dedicated to uprooting these and all systems of oppression. This work is ongoing and benefits our programming, staff, audiences, faculty, students, board, donors, and partners. We invite you to engage in this with us. As we expand the US theater canon, we aim to make Playwrights Horizons a theater that is an anti-racist center of ideas, dialogue, curiosity, and a liberated imagination.

Our Conviction

We are a home for the American writer. It is expressed in our very name: we are Playwrights.

Playwrights Horizons — where theater begins.