Best American Playwrights
American playwrights have made some of the most significant contributions to theatre. A number of the greatest playwright of all time are American, and so we thought it appropriate to make a list of the best American Playwrights. As always, creating a subjective ‘best of’ list is difficult, however, this is our pick of best American playwrights. You can learn more about any of the playwrights by clicking on their name.
Please let us know what you think of our list below…
Top 10 American Playwrights
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1
Death of a Salesman, The Crucible
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2
A Street Car Named Desire, The Glass Menagerie
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3
Long Day’s Journey into Night, The Iceman Cometh
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4
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, The Zoo Story
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5
Buried Child, Fool for Love
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6
Our Town, The Skin of Our Teeth
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7
Brighton Beach Memoirs, Barefoot in the Park
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8
Glengarry Glen Ross, American Buffalo
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9
Fences, The Piano Lesson
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10
Angels in America: Millennium Approaches, Angels in America: Perestroika
Other Great American Playwrights
Neil LaBute (Fat Pig)
David Rabe (In the Boom Boom Room)
T.S. Eliot (The Cocktail Party)
Lorraine Hansberry (A Raisin in the Sun)
James Goldman (The Lion in Winter)
John Patrick Shanley (Doubt)
Tracy Letts (August: Osage County)
Hi Guys, just noticed that on this page https://www.stagemilk.com/best-american-playwrights/ Eugene O’Neill’s plays are listed under David Mamet too.
cheers …. Matt
There is a mistake for number 8.
Thanks guys, page has been updated!
I am disappointed to see there are not more female playwrights on your lists.
You’re disappointed to see there are not more female playwrights on the lists are you? Well maybe you should carry the torch and write several plays as good as these gentleman listed above.
If you think there is not a list of female playwrights who are just as talented and accomplished as the men above, you aren’t reading enough and your misogyny is showing.
Maxwell Anderson, more productive, more versatile, more ambitious than Miller or Williams. George S. Kaufman, again, at least as versatile and interesting as Neil Simon, I think more so.
Why isn’t Wendy Wasserstein on this list?