Michael Charlies Kuchwara (February 28, 1947 – May 22, 2010) was an American theater critic, columnist and journalist. Kuchwara worked as both a critic and journalist for the Associated Press for more than from 1984 until 2010, writing pieces that were read worldwide.[1] Kuchwara, who was based in New York City, reviewed as many as 200 theater productions a year.[1]
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Kuchwara was born on February 28, 1947, in Scranton, Pennsylvania.[1] His father, a United States Air Force pilot, worked for the National Security Agency. Kuchwara's interest in theater and the entertainment industry began when he saw his first play during the late-1950s, the comedic Third Best Sport, by Leo G. Bayer and Eleanor Perry, at the Poconos Playhouse in Pennsylvania.[1]
He received his bachelor's degree from Syracuse University and his master's degree from the University of Missouri.[1]
Kuchwara worked for the Associated Press for more than 40 years, first as a reporter and then as a theater critic.[1] He began his career as a journalist for the Associated Press' bureau in Chicago, Illinois.[1] He moved to New York City to work as an AP editor on the wire service's national desk.[1]
In 1984, Kuchwara became the Associated Press chief theater critic, a position he held until his death in 2010.[1]
Michael Kuchwara died at Beth Israel Hospital in Manhattan of idiopathic ischemic lung disease on May 22, 2010, at the age of 63.[1] He is survived by his sister, Patricia Henley and wife, Jonnie Kay Kitchen; the couple had been married since 1975.[1]