About the Forum

One of America's premier playwriting workshops, The Playwright's Forum was founded in 1981 in Washington, D.C. by Ernie Joselovitz. We offer an exciting program of activities for playwrights at every level of development, enhanced by the participation of leading universities and professional theatres in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Most importantly, we provide something all too rare in the life of an aspiring playwright: a supportive but disciplined environment within which to study the craft of writing, while maturing and developing your creative talent and skill.

The Playwright's Forum is a highly respected, vigorous, and long-established organization which places its playwrights at the center of a thriving professional theatre community.

How it Works

The Playwright's Forum is a non-profit organization dedicated to the artistic development of talented playwrights from the Washington D.C. area. We offer a supportive but disciplined environment within which to study the craft and nurture your creative talent and skills.

Within the Playwrights Forum there is a three-tier range of membership options: our permanent selective group, Forum 2, for professional playwrights; Forum 1, which consists of 3-month workshops of small-enrollment groups for apprentice playwrights; and an Associate Membership for those who want a less participatory role in our multifaceted program of activities.

Registration information is posted in our newsletter.
Click to learn how to register.

Board of Directors

Nick Olcott, director
Karen Zacarias, playwright, founder of Young Playwrights Theatre
Bobbi Blok, playwright, child advocate
Harry Bagdasian, playwright, founder of "Comedy Club"/teen theatre
Keith Parker, dramaturg
Rachelle Raphael, legal counsel

Board of Advisors

Kathleen Akerley, Longacre Lea Theatre Company
Mark Bly, Houston's Alley Theatre
Gay Gibson Cima, Georgetown University
Danisha Crosby, Round House Theatre
Rick Davis, Theatre of the First Amendment
Marcia Gardner, Signature Theatre
Gary Garrison, Dramatists Guild of America
Carolyn Griffin, MetroStage
Denise Hart, Howard University
Karen Brooks Hopkins, Brooklyn Academy of Music
Leslie Jacobson, Horizons Theatre
Caleen Sinette Jennings, American University
Russell Metheny, Studio Theatre
Donn Murphy, National Theatre
Jennifer Nelson, African Continuum Theatre Co.
Ari Roth, Theatre J
Bonnie Nelson-Schwartz, Producer
James C. Nicola, New York Theatre Workshop
Jim Petosa, Potomac Players
Lynnie Raybuck, Smallbeer Theatre Company
Lloyd Rose, Literary Consultant
Howard Shalwitz, Woolly Mammoth Theatre
Janet Stanford, Imagination Stage
Larry Yanowitch, Legal Consultant