List of playwrights
List of notable playwrights.
See also Literature; Drama; List of playwrights by nationality and date of birth; Lists of authors
A
Ab-An
- George Francis Abbott (1887–1995) (United States)
- Kjeld Abell (1901–1961) (Denmark)
- Marcel Achard (1899–1974) (France)
- Herbert Achternbusch
- Adam de la Halle (c. 1237 – c. 1288) (France)
- Arthur Adamov (1908–1970) (France)
- Marion Adams-Acton (1846-1928) (Scotland)
- Joseph Addison (1672–1719) (England)
- George Ade (1866–1944) (United States)
- Mirza Adeeb (1914–1999) (Pakistan)
- Aeschylus, (ca. 525 BC – 456 BC) (Greece)
- Akbar Radi, (1939–2007) (Iran)
- Aleksandr Nikolayevich Afinogenov (1904–1941) (Russia)
- Agathon
- Bola Agbaje (United Kingdom)
- Ama Ata Aidoo
- Étienne Aignan
- George L. Aiken (1830–1876) (United States)
- Zoë Akins
- Vasily Pavlovich Aksyonov
- Juan Ruiz de Alarcón y Mendoza
- Edward Albee (born 1928) (United States)
- Rafael Alberti (1902–1999) (Spain)
- James Albery
- Vasile Alecsandri (1821–1890) (Romania)
- Vittorio Alfieri (1749–1803) (Italy)
- William Alfred (1922–1999) (United States)
- Jay Presson Allen (1922–2006) (United States)
- Jim Allen (1926–1999) (United Kingdom)
- Alejandro Rodriguez Alvarez
- Serafin and Joaquin Alvarez Quintero [Serafin (1871–1938) and Joaquin (1873–1944)] (Spain)
- Maria Adelaide Amaral (Brazil)
- Franco Ambriz Brooklyn, New York
- Angelo Ambrogini {redirect to Angelo Poliziano}
- Jane Anderson
- Maxwell Anderson (1888–1959) (United States)
- Robert W. Anderson (born 1917) (United States)
- Stefan Andres (1906–1970) (Germany)
- Leonid Andreyev (1871–1919) (Russia)
- Lucius Livius Andronicus
- Innokenty Fyodorovich Annensky (1856–1909) (Russia)
- Jean Anouilh (1910–1987) (France)
- S. Ansky (1863–1920) (Russia) *Russian language and Yiddish language*
- Camillo Antona-Traversi (1857–1934) (Italy)
- Giannino Antona-Traversi (1860–1939) (Italy)
- Ludwig Anzengruber (1839–1889) (Austria)
Ap-Ay
- Guillaume Apollinaire (1880–1918) (France)
- Jacob Appel (United States)
- Aleksei Nikolaevich Arbuzov (1908–1986) (Russia)
- Manuel José Arce
- William Archibald (1917–1970) (United States)
- Jane Arden (director) (1927–1982)
- John Arden (born 1930) (England)
- Arthur Arent (1904–1972) (United States)
- Pietro Aretino (1492–1556) (Italy)
- Ludovico Ariosto (1474–1533) (Italy)
- Aristophanes, (ca. 446 BC-385 BC) (Greece)
- Roberto Arlt
- Arnab Jan Deka (born 1967) (India)
- Georges Arnaud (1917–1987) (France)
- Carlos Arniches (1866–1943) (Spain)
- Alexandre Arnoux (1884–1973) (France)
- Fernando Arrabal (born 1932) (Spain)
- Francisco Arriví
- Jorge Arroyo (born 1959) (Costa Rica)
- Antón Arrufat
- Antonin Artaud (1896–1948) (France)
- Sholem Asch (1880–1957) (Poland/United States) *Yiddish language*
- Werner Aspenström (1918–1997) (Sweden)
- Marie Aspioti (1909-2000) (Corfu)
- Leilah Assunção
- Aubignac {redirect to François Hédelin, abbé d'Aubignac}
- David Auburn (born 1969)
- W. H. Auden (1907–1973) (England/United States)
- Jacques Audiberti (1899–1965) (France)
- Émile Augier (1820–1889) (France)
- Arkady Averchenko
- Máximo Avilés-Blonda
- George Axelrod (1922–2003) (United States)
- Rachel Axler (United States)
- Lilly Axster (1896–1948)
- Mulat Ayalneh
- Alan Ayckbourn (Britain)
- Philip Ayckbourn
- Marcel Aymé (1902–1967) (France)
- Jakob Ayrer
- Leslie Ayvazian
B
Ba-Be
- Ramvriksh Benipuri (1902–1968) India, Hindi Language
- Isaak Emmanuilovich Babel (1894–1941) (Russia) *Russian language and Yiddish language*
- Ingeborg Bachmann
- Giuseppe Baffico (1852–1927) (Italy)
- Bianca Bagatourian
- Enid Bagnold
- Hermann Bahr (1863–1934) (Austria)
- George Pierce Baker (1866–1935) (United States)
- John Lloyd Balderston (1889–1954) (United States)
- James Baldwin (1924–1987) (United States)
- John Bale (1495–1563) (England)
- Honoré de Balzac (1799–1850) (France)
- Francisco Antonio Bances y López-Candamo (1662–1704) (Spain)
- Théodore de Banville (1823–1891) (France)
- Imamu Amiri Baraka (1934–2014) (United States)
- Girolamo Bargagli (1537–1586) (Italy)
- Pierre Barillet (born 1923) (France)
- Howard Barker
- James Nelson Barker (1784–1858) (United States)
- Ernst Barlach (1870–1938) (Germany)
- Peter Barnes
- J. M. Barrie (1860–1937) (Scotland)
- Jeff Baron
- Mike Bartlett
- Philip Barry (1896–1949) (United States)
- Gabriel Barylli
- Peter Basch
- Todd Bash
- Enrico Bassano (1899–1999) (Italy)
- Henri Bataille (1872–1922) (France)
- Wolfgang Bauer
- L. Frank Baum (1856–1919) (United States)
- Terry Baum
- Bahram Bayzaee (Iran)
- Clifford Bax (1886–1962) (England)
- Richard Bean (born 1956) (England)
- Pierre de Beaumarchais (1732–1799) (France)
- Francis Beaumont (1584/85-1616) (England)
- Jim Beaver (United States)
- Ulrich Becher (1910–1990) (Germany)
- Frawley Becker (United States)
- Jürgen Becker
- Jurek Becker
- Samuel Beckett (1906–1989) (Ireland) *English language and French language*
- Henry Becque (1837–1899) (France)
- Richard Beer-Hofmann (1866–1945) (Austria)
- Brendan Behan (1923–1964) (Ireland)
- Aphra Behn (1640–1689) (England)
- S. N. Behrman (1893–1973) (United States)
- David Belasco (1853–1931) (United States)
- Feo Belcari (1410–1484) (Italy)
- Wendy Belden
- T. James Belich (pseudonym: Colorado Tolston) (born 1976) (United States)
- Jean Bellemère {redirect to Jean Sarment}
- Luis de Belmonte y Bermúdez (c. 1590 – c. 1650) (Spain)
- Jacinto Benavente (1866–1954) (Spain)
- Victoria Benedictsson (1850–1888) (Sweden)
- Sem Benelli (1877–1949) (Italy)
- Gottfried Benn
- Alan Bennett (Britain)
- Arnold Bennett (1867–1931) (England)
- Angelo Beolco
- Hjalmar Bergman (1883–1931) (Sweden)
- Ingmar Bergman (1918–2007) (Sweden)
- Alan Berks
- Jean-Jacques Bernard (1888–1972) (France)
- Tristan Bernard (1866–1947) (France)
- Jean Bernard-Luc (1909–1985) (France)
- Thomas Bernhard (1931–1989) (Austria)
- Henri Bernstein (1876–1953) (France)
- Georges Berr (1867–1942) (France)
- Carlo Bertolazzi (1870–1916) (Italy)
- Kurt Besci (born 1920) (Austria)
- Rudolph Besier (1878–1942) (England)
- Lucien Besnard (1872–1955) (France)
- Ugo Betti (1892–1953) (Italy)
Bi-By
- Bernardo Dovizio da Bibbiena (1470–1520) (Italy)
- Isaac Bickerstaffe (1735–1812) (Ireland)
- Sieur de Bigot {redirect to Jean Palaprat}
- François Billetdoux (1927–1991) (France)
- Richard Billinger (1893–1965) (Austria)
- André Birabeau (1890–1974) (France)
- Robert Montgomery Bird (1806–1854) (United States)
- Alexandre Bisson (1848–1912) (France)
- Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson (1832–1910) (Norway)
- Lewis Black (United States)
- August Blanche
- Dharamvir Bharati
- Marc Blitzstein (1905–1964) (United States)
- Alexander Blok (1880–1921) (Russia)
- Augusto Boal
- Lucien Bourjeily (Lebanon)
- Bahram Beyzaei (Iran)
- Eric Bogosian
- George H. Boker (1823–1890) (United States)
- Robert Bolt (1924–1995) (England)
- Valentino Bompiani (1898–1992) (Italy)
- Francesco Augusto Bon (1788–1858) (Italy)
- Edward Bond
- Leslie Bonnet (1902–1985) (Wales)
- Massimo Bontempelli (1878–1960) (Italy)
- Clare Boothe (1903–1987) (United States)
- Wolfgang Borchert (1921–1947) (Germany)
- Dion Boucicault (1820/22-1890) (Ireland/United States)
- Jacques Bouralan {redirect to Jacques Deval}
- Édouard Bourdet (1887–1945) (France)
- Edmé Boursault (1638–1701) (France)
- John Griffith Bowen
- Warren Bowles
- William Boyle (1853–1923) (Ireland)
- Oskar Braaten
- Roberto Bracco (1861–1943) (Italy)
- Suzanne Bradbeer
- Vitaliano Brancati (1907–1954) (Italy)
- Thomas Brasch
- Volker Braun
- Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956) (Germany)
- Gerbrand Adriaensz Bredero (1585–1618)
- Howard Brenton
- Manuel Bretón de los Herreros (1796–1873) (Spain)
- James Bridie (1888–1951) (Scotland)
- Eugène Brieux (1858–1932) (France)
- Harold Brighouse (1882–1958) (England)
- Hermann Broch
- Max Brod (1884–1968) (Czech Republic/Israel) *German language*
- Richard Brome (ca. 1590-1652/53) (England)
- Arnolt Bronnen (1895–1959) (Austria)
- Peter Brook (England)
- Charles D. Brooks, III (1939-) (America)
- Kent R. Brown
- Robert Browning (1812–1889) (England)
- Ferdinand Bruckner (1891–1958) (Austria)
- Christine Brückner
- David-Augustin de Brueys (1640–1723) (France)
- Nathan Bruhn
- Giordano Bruno (1548–1600) (Italy)
- Alfred Brust
- Georg Büchner (1813–1837) (Germany)
- Duke of Buckingham {redirect to George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham}
- Antonio Buero Vallejo (1916–2000) (Spain)
- Oliver Bukowski
- Mikhail Bulgakov (1891–1940) (Russia)
- Edward Bullins (born 1935) (United States)
- Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton (1803–1873) (England)
- Michelangelo Buonarroti, the Younger (1568–1642) (Italy)
- Waldfried Burggraf {redirect to Friedrich Forster}
- John Burkhardt
- Leo Butler (1974) England
- Enrico Annibale Butti (1868–1912) (Italy)
- George Gordon Byron (1788–1824) (England)
- Henry James Byron
C
- Emilio Carballido 1925–2008 (Mexico)
- Gaston de Caillavet (1869–1915) (France)
- Hall Caine (1853–1931) (England)
- Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600–1681) (Spain)
- Daniel Call
- Sheila Callaghan
- Joaquín Calvo-Sotelo (1905–1993) (Spain)
- Marc Camoletti
- Bartley Campbell
- David Campton (born 1924) (England)
- Albert Camus (1913–1961) (France)
- Carlos Canales (1955) (Puerto Rico)
- Elias Canetti
- Veza Canetti
- José de Cañizares (1676–1750) (Spain)
- Cao Yu
- Karel Čapek (1890–1938) (Czech Republic)
- Luigi Capuana (1839–1915) (Italy)
- Alfred Capus (1858–1922) (France)
- Ion Luca Caragiale (1852–1912) (Romania)
- Louis Carette {redirect to Félicien Marceau}
- Annibale Caro (1507–1566) (Italy)
- Alice Caroline
- Paul Vincent Carroll (1900–1968) (Ireland/Scotland)
- Jim Cartwright
- Alberto Casella (1891–1957) (Italy)
- Alejandro Casona (1903–1965) (Spain)
- Guillén de Castro y Bellvís (1569–1631) (Spain)
- Enrico Cavacchioli (1885–1954) (Italy)
- Giovan Maria Cecchi (1518–1587) (Italy)
- Susannah Centlivre (c. 1667–1723) (England)
- Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616) (Spain)
- Linda Chambers (United States)
- George Chapman (c. 1560–1634) (England)
- Sita Ram Chaturvedi (1907–1995) (India)
- Charlotte Charke (1713–1760)
- Mary Coyle Chase (1907–1981) (United States)
- Klaus Chatten
- Paddy Chayefsky (1923–1981) (United States)
- Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860–1904) (Russia)
- Andrew Cherry (1762–1812)
- William Rufus Chetwood, (died 1766) (England/Ireland)
- Luigi Chiarelli (1880–1947) (Italy)
- Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653–1725) (Japan)
- Hans Chlumberg (1897–1930) (Austria)
- Jerome Chodorov (1911–2004) (United States)
- Agatha Christie (1890–1976) (England)
- David W. Christner
- Caryl Churchill
- Colley Cibber (1671–1757) (England)
- Giovanni Battista Cini (c. 1525–1586) (Italy)
- Paul Claudel (1868–1955) (France)
- Rick Cleveland (United States)
- Jean Cocteau (1889–1963) (France)
- Antonio Coello y Ochoa (1611–1652) (Spain)
- George M. Cohan (1878–1942) (United States)
- George Colman the Elder (1732–1794) (England)
- John Colton (1889–1946) (United States/England)
- Padraic Colum (1881–1972) (Ireland/United States)
- Pat Condell (England)
- William Congreve (1670–1729) (England)
- Richard Conlon (England)
- Marc Connelly (1890–1980) (United States)
- Robert Taylor Conrad (1810–1858) (United States)
- Michael Cook
- Ray Cooney (Britain)
- Romain Coolus (1868–1952) (France)
- Cheryl A. Costa (born 1952) (United States)
- Antonia Cousins (England)
- Jacques Copeau (1879–1949) (France)
- François Coppée (1842–1908) (France)
- Simon Corble (England)
- Pierre Corneille (1606–1684) (France)
- Thomas Corneille (1625–1709) (France)
- Joe Corrie (1894-1968) (Scotland)
- Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas (United States)
- Pietro Cossa (1830–1881) (Italy)
- Georges Courteline (1858–1929) (France)
- Noël Coward (1899–1973) (England)
- Louis O. Coxe (1918–1993) (United States)
- Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon (1674–1762) (France)
- Michael Cristofer
- Francis de Croisset (1877–1937) (France)
- Fernand Crommelynck (1885–1970) (Belgium/France) *French language*
- A. J. Cronin (1896–1981) (Scotland)
- Rachel Crothers (1878–1958) (United States)
- Russel Crouse (1893–1966) (United States)
- Mart Crowley (born 1935) (United States)
- John Crowne (c. 1640 – c. 1703) (England)
- Nilo Cruz
- Ramón de la Cruz (1731–1794) (Spain)
- Gergely Csíky (1842–1891) (Hungary)
- Franz Theodor Csokor (1885–1969) (Austria)
- Álvaro Cubillo de Aragón (1596–1661) (Spain)
- Juan de la Cueva (c. 1550–1610) (Spain)
- Richard Cumberland (1732–1811) (England)
- E. E. Cummings (1894–1962) (United States)
- François de Curel (1854–1928) (France)
- Stephen Currens
D
- Stig Dagerman (1923–1954) (Sweden)
- Andrew Dallmeyer (1945-present) (United Kingdom)
- George Dalton
- Augustin Daly (1838–1899) (United States)
- George Landen Dann (1904-1977) (Australia)
- Florent Carton Dancourt (1661–1725) (France)
- Clemence Dane (1888–1965) (England)
- Gabriele d'Annunzio (1863–1938) (Italy)
- Alphonse Daudet (1840–1897) (France)
- Indy Daugherty (1995-present) (United States)
- William Davenant (1606–1668) (England)
- Robertson Davies (1913–1995) (Canada)
- Jack Davis (1917–2000) (Australia)
- Ossie Davis (1917–2005) (United States)
- Owen Davis (1874–1956) (United States)
- Roxann Dawson
- Frederic Lansing Day (1886–1982) (United States)
- April De Angelis (England)
- Eduardo De Filippo (1900–1984) (Italy)
- Thomas Dekker (c. 1572–1632) (England)
- Shelagh Delaney (born 1939) (England)
- Casimir-Jean-François Delavigne (1793–1843) (France)
- Barbu Delavrancea (1858–1918) (Romania)
- Giambattista della Porta (1535–1615) (Italy)
- Federico Della Valle (c. 1560–1628) (Italy)
- Merrill Denison (1893–1975) (Canada)
- Lucien Descaves (1861–1949) (France)
- Jean Desmarets (1595–1676) (France)
- Sugathapala de Silva
- Philippe Néricault Destouches (1680–1754) (France)
- Jacques Deval (1894–1972) (France)
- Juan Bautista Diamante (1625–1687) (Spain)
- Lydia R. Diamond (born 1969) (United States)
- Joaquín Dicenta (1863–1917) (Spain)
- Denis Diderot (1713–1784) (France)
- Steven Dietz
- Salvatore Di Giacomo (1860–1934) (Italy)
- Tony DiMurro (United States)
- Joe DiPietro
- Madge Dishman
- Lodovico Dolce (1508 – c. 1568) (Italy)
- Maurice Donnay (1859–1945) (France)
- Ariel Dorfman
- Earl of Dorset {redirect to Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset}
- Tankred Dorst (born 1925) (Germany)
- Stuart Draper (England)
- Michael Drayton (1563–1631) (England)
- Alex Dremann (born 1966) (United States)
- John Drinkwater (1882–1937) (England)
- John Dryden (1631–1700) (England)
- Marin Držić
- Marcel Dubé (born 1930) (Canada) *French language*
- Charles Rivière Dufresny (1654–1724) (France)
- Charles Rivière Dufresny (1654–1724) (France)
- Roger Martin du Gard {redirect to Martin du Gard, Roger}
- Edmond Jean Baptiste Duesberg (1857-1944) (Belgium)
- Alexandre Dumas, père (1802–1870) (France)
- D Underbelly (United States)
- Govind Deshpande
- William Dunlap (1766–1839) (United States)
- Marc Dunn
- Nell Dunn
- Philip Dunning (1891–1957) (United States)
- Lord Dunsany (1878–1957) (England/Ireland)
- Christopher Durang
- Marguerite Duras (1914–1996) (France)
- Friedrich Dürrenmatt (1921–1990) (Switzerland) *German language*
- Pierre du Ryer (1606–1658) (France)
- Jean Dutourd (born 1920) (France)
- Don Duyns (born 1967) (Holland)
- Swadesh Deepak(born 1942– ) (India)
- Henri Duvernois (1875–1937) (France)
E
- José Echegaray (1832–1916) (Spain)
- David Edgar
- Margaret Edson
- Erik Ehn
- Günter Eich
- Baron Joseph von Eichendorff (1788–1857) (Germany)
- T. S. Eliot (1888–1965) (United States/England)
- Gundi Ellert
- Juan del Encina (ca. 1469-1529/30) (Spain)
- Will Eno
- Per Olov Enquist (Sweden)
- Nick Enright
- Eve Ensler
- Hans Magnus Enzensberger
- Brad Erickson
- Paul Ernst (1866–1933) (Germany)
- St. John Ervine (1883–1971) (Ireland/England)
- George Etherege (c. 1635–1691) (England)
- Solomon Ettinger (1800/03-1856) (Poland) *Hebrew language and Yiddish language*
- Euripides (ca. 485 BC-ca. 406 BC) (Greece)
- Don Evans (United States)
F
- Diego Fabbri (1911–1980) (Italy)
- Émile Fabre (1869–1955) (France)
- Michael Fackelmann
- George Farquhar (1677/8-1707) (England)
- Graham Farrow England
- Rainer Werner Fassbinder (Germany)
- René Fauchois (1882–1962) (France)
- Jules Feiffer (born 1929) (United States)
- Ludwig Fels
- Dan Fenton
- Edna Ferber (1887–1968) (United States)
- Roger Ferdinand {redirect to Roger-Ferdinand}
- Lucas Fernández (1474–1542) (Spain)
- Luis Fernández Ardavín (1891–1962) (Spain)
- Leandro Fernández de Moratín (1760–1828) (Spain)
- Nicolás Fernández de Moratín (1737–1780) (Spain)
- Bob Jude Ferrante (born 1959) (United States)
- Paolo Ferrari (1822–1889) (Italy)
- Leo Ferrero (1903–1933) (Italy)
- Lion Feuchtwanger (1884–1958) (Germany)
- Georges Feydeau (1862–1921) (France)
- Nathan Field
- Henry Fielding (1707–1754) (England)
- Joseph Fields (1895–1966) (United States)
- Alex Finlayson (1951 – ) (United States)
- Clyde Fitch (1865–1909) (United States)
- George Fitzmaurice (1877–1963) (Ireland)
- Gustave Flaubert
- Martin Flavin (1883–1967) (United States)
- Harvey Fierstein (born 1952) (United States)
- David Fleisher.
- James Elroy Flecker (1884–1915) (England)
- Marieluise Fleisser
- Justin Fleming
- Robert de Flers (1872–1927) (France)
- John Fletcher (1579–1625) (England)
- Lucille Fletcher
- Dario Fo
- Antonio Fogazzaro (1842–1911) (Italy)
- Rick Fonté
- Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin (1744/5-1792) (Russia)
- Horton Foote
- Samuel Foote (1720–1777) (England)
- John Ford (ca. 1586-after 1639) (England)
- Charles J. Fourie (born 1965)(South Africa)
- Maria Irene Fornes
- Lars Forssell (1928–2007) (Sweden)
- Friedrich Forster (1895–1958) (Germany)
- Ugo Foscolo (1778–1827) (Italy)
- Jon Fosse (Norway)
- Norm Foster (born 1949) (Canada)
- Paul Foster (born 1937) (United States)
- Paul Foucher (1810–1875) (France)
- Amy Fox (1975–present) (United States)
- Bruno Frank (1887–1945) (Germany)
- Leonhard Frank (1882–1961) (Germany/United States)
- Ian Fraser (South Africa/United States)
- Michael Frayn
- Aleksander Fredro (1793–1876) (Poland)
- David French
- Gustav Freytag (1816–1895) (Germany)
- Erich Fried
- Gertrude Friedberg (died 1989) (American)
- Alan Foster Friedman
- Bruce Jay Friedman (born 1930) (United States)
- Brian Friel (born 1929) (Ireland)
- Ketti Frings (1909–1981) (United States)
- Max Frisch (1911–1991) (Switzerland)
- Christopher Fry (1907–2005) (England)
- Franz Fühmann (1922–1984) (Germany)
- Athol Fugard (South Africa)
- Ulpian Fulwell (1545/6 – 1584/5/6)
- Derek Alan Fuzzell (born 1985) (United States)
G
- Jeremy Gable (born 1982) (United States)
- Christoph Gahl
- Zona Gale (1874–1938) (United States)
- Ferdinando Galiani (1728–1787) (Italy)
- John Galsworthy (1867–1933) (England)
- Simon Gantillon (1887–1961) (France)
- Vicente Antonio García de la Huerta (1734–1787) (Spain)
- Antonio García Gutiérrez (1813–1884) (Spain)
- Federico García Lorca (1898–1936) (Spain)
- Robert Garnier (1544–1590) (France)
- David Garrick (1717–1779) (England)
- George Gascoigne (1535–1577) (England)
- Armand Gatti (born 1924) (France)
- Natalie Gaupp (born 1967) (United States)
- John Gay (1685–1732) (England)
- Michael V. Gazzo (1923–1995) (United States)
- Larry Gelbart (1928–2009) (United States)
- Jack Gelber (1932–2003) (United States)
- Gratien Gélinas (1909–1999) (Canada) *French language*
- Jean Genet (1910–1986) (France)
- Paul Géraldy (1885–1983) (France)
- Katharina Gericke
- Esther Gerritsen
- Joel Gersmann (1942–2005) (United States)
- Alice Gerstenberg
- Heinrich Wilhelm von Gerstenberg (1737–1823) (Germany)
- Landen Gessell
- Elke Geurts (born 1973) (Netherlands)
- Michel de Ghelderode (1898–1962) (Belgium) *French language*
- Henri Ghéon (1875–1944) (France)
- Gherardo Gherardi (1891–1949) (Italy)
- Paolo Giacometti (1816–1882) (Italy)
- Giuseppe Giacosa (1847–1906) (Italy)
- Gigio Artemio Giancarli (c. 1500–1550) (Italy)
- Donato Giannotti (1492–1573) (Italy)
- William Gibson (born 1914) (United States)
- David Gieselmann
- Kathie Lee Gifford
- W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) (England)
- D. B. Gilles (United States)
- William Gillette (1855–1937) (United States)
- Frank D. Gilroy (born 1925) (United States)
- Antonio Gil y Zárate (1793–1861) (Spain)
- José Antonio Giménez Arnau y Gran (1912–1985) (Spain)
- Jean Giono (1895–1970) (France)
- Silvio Giovaninetti (1901–1959) (Italy)
- Giambattista Giraldi Cinthio (1504–1573) (Italy)
- Giovanni Giraud (1776–1834) (Italy)
- Jean Giraudoux (1882–1944) (France)
- Vincenzo Giusti (1532–1619) (Italy)
- Susan Glaspell (1882–1948) (United States)
- Janusz Głowacki (Poland/United States) *Polish language* and *English language*
- John Godber
- Kermi Goell
- Reinhard Goering (1887–1936) (Germany)
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) (Germany)
- Ruth and Augustus Goetz
- Curt Goetz (1888–1960) (Germany)
- Nikolay Vasilyevich Gogol (1809–1852) (Russia)
- Abraham Haim Lipke Goldfaden (1840–1908) (Russia/United States) *Hebrew language and Yiddish language*
- James Goldman (1927–1998) (United States)
- Carlo Goldoni (1707–1793) (Italy)
- Oliver Goldsmith (1728/30-1774) (England)
- Ivan Goll
- Witold Gombrowicz (1904–1969) (Poland/Argentina) *Polish language*
- Jeff Goode (United States)
- Jules Eckert Goodman (1876–1962) (United States)
- Frances Goodrich (1890–1984) (United States)
- Jacob Gordin (1853–1909) (Ukraine/United States) *Russian language and Yiddish language*
- Peter Gordon (Britain)
- Ruth Gordon (United States)
- Charles Gordone (1925–1995) (United States)
- Maxim Gorky (1868–1936) (Russia)
- Staffan Göthe (Sweden)
- Abraham Dov Ber Gottlober (1811–1899) (Russia) *Hebrew language and Yiddish language*
- Johann Christoph Gottsched (1700–1766) (Germany)
- Olympe de Gouges
- David Gow (born 1964) (Canada, Quebec)
- Carlo Gozzi (1720–1806) (Italy)
- Christian Dietrich Grabbe (1801–1836) (Germany)
- Ed Graczyk
- Ray Harrison Graham (born 1962)
- Percy Granger (1945–1997) (United States)
- David Marshall Grant
- Marsha L. Grant
- Harley Granville-Barker (1877–1946) (England)
- Jörg Graser
- Günter Grass (born 1927) (Germany)
- Jacinto Grau Delgado (1877–1958) (Spain)
- Nicholas Stuart Gray (1922–1981) (England)
- Simon Gray (1936–2008) (England)
- Antonio Francesco Grazzini (1503–1584) (Italy)
- Jean-Pierre Grédy (born 1920) (France)
- Julien Green (1900–1998) (France/United States) *French language*
- Paul Eliot Green (1894–1981) (United States)
- Richard Greenberg
- Graham Greene (1904–1991) (England)
- Robert Greene (1558–1592) (England)
- David Greenspan
- Lady Augusta Gregory (1852–1932) (Ireland)
- David Greig (Scotland)
- Jean-Baptiste Louis Gresset (1709–1777) (France)
- Tom Griffin
- Trevor Griffiths
- Franz Grillparzer
- David Grimm (born 1965) (American)
- Alan Gross
- Jim Grover
- Andreas Gryphius
- John Guare (born 1938) (United States)
- Sacha Guitry
- Yesim Ozsoy Gulan
- Sachin Gupta
- A.R. Gurney
- Karl Ferdinand Gutzkow
H
- Peter Hacks (1928–2003)
- Ruth Hale (1908–2003)
- Adam de la Halle (c. 1237 – c. 1288) (France)
- Peter Handke (born 1942)
- William Hanley (born 1931)
- Lorraine Hansberry (1930–1965)
- Haseena Moin (born 1941) – Pakistan
- Ernst Hardt (1876–1947)
- David Hare (born 1947)
- Moss Hart (1904–1961)
- Bharatendu Harishchandra (1850–1885)
- Ray Harrison Graham (born 1962)
- Jonathan Harvey (born 1968)
- Walter Hasenclever (1890–1940)
- Jeffrey Hatcher
- Cleve Haubold (born 1930)
- Gerhart Hauptmann (1862–1946)
- Václav Havel (1936–2011) (Czech)
- Friedrich Hebbel (1813–1863)
- Peter Hedges (born 1962)
- Lillian Hellman (1905–1984)
- Beth Henley (born 1952)
- George Herman (born 1928)
- Samuel Hershaw
- Nigel Heseltine (1916–1995)
- Dorothy Hewett (1923–2002)
- John Heywood (c. 1497 – c. 1580)
- Wolfgang Hildesheimer (1916–1991)
- Shawn Hirabayashi
- Prince Hoare
- Rolf Hochhuth
- Fritz Hochwaelder
- Hugo von Hofmannsthal
- Darcy Hogan
- Ludvig Holberg
- Michael Hollinger
- Rupert Holmes
- CJ Hopkins
- Ödön von Horváth
- Sidney Howard
- Tina Howe
- Frank Howson
- John-Michael Howson
- Hroswitha of Gandersheim
- Dusty Hughes
- Langston Hughes (United States)
- Victor Hugo (France)
- Maureen Hunter
I
- Henrik Ibsen (Norway)
- Almir Imsirevic
- William Inge
- Eugène Ionesco (Romania)
- Roger Iverson
- David Ives
- Naomi Iizuka
- Pali Bhupinder Singh (India)
- Sandeep Aks Mehraj (India)
- Atamjeet (India)
- Gursharan Bha (India)
- Ajmer Singh Aulakh (India)
J
- Luigi Jannuzzi
- Alfred Jarry (France)
- Elfriede Jelinek
- Douglas William Jerrold
- Christopher John (Australia)
- Terry Johnson
- Denis Johnston
- Arthur M. Jolly
- Ben Jonson (England)
- Rajiv Joseph
- James Joyce (Ireland)
- Jaimie Martin
K
- Georg Kaiser
- Zog Kadare
- Kalidasa
- Sarah Kane
- Girish Karnad
- George S. Kaufman
- Moisés Kaufman
- John B. Keane
- Dennis Kelly
- Adrienne Kennedy
- Joseph Kesselring
- Lyle Kessler
- Stanley Keyes (United States)
- Thomas Kilroy
- Sidney Kingsley
- Elizabeth Kinman
- Heinrich von Kleist
- Friedrich Maximilian Klinger
- Václav Kliment Klicpera
- Alexander Kluge
- Frederick Knott
- Oskar Kokoschka
- Bernard-Marie Koltès (1948–1989) (France)
- Harry Kondoleon
- Karl König
- Allan Stewart Konigsberg (United States)
- Bernard Kops
- August von Kotzebue
- Karl Kraus
- Helmut Krausser
- Franz Xaver Kroetz
- Nestor Kukolnik
- Rick Kunzi
- Hanif Kureishi
- Tony Kushner
- Thomas Kyd
L
- Neil LaBute
- Pär Lagerkvist (1891–1974) (Sweden)
- Jun Lana
- Jonathon Larson
- Stig Larsson (Sweden)
- Kirke La Shelle
- Else Lasker-Schüler
- Miklos Laszlo, (1903–1973)
- Walter Learning (Canada)
- Kang Baek Lee (Korea)
- Robert Edwin Lee
- VB Leghorn (United States)
- Sue Lenier
- Jakob Michael Reinhold Lenz
- Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
- Reinhard Lettau
- Ira Levin
- Caleb Lewis
- Saunders Lewis
- Nell Leyshon
- David Lindsay-Abaire
- Margo Linnet (Canada/United States)
- Romulus Linney
- Kenneth Lonergan
- Stephen Lowe
- Craig Lucas
- Clare Boothe Luce (United States)
- Charles Ludlam
- Ken Ludwig
- Otto Ludwig
M
- Ewan MacColl
- Robert McLellan (1907-1985) (Scotland)
- Michael MacLennan (born 1968) (Canada)
- Wendy MacLeod
- George Macropedius (1487–1558) (Netherlands)
- Ellen McLaughlin
- Monica Malek-Yonan
- Rosie Malek-Yonan
- David Mamet (born 1947) (United States)
- Henning Mankell (born 1948) (Sweden)
- Klaus Mann
- Frank Marcus (1928–1996) (England)
- William Marchant (1923–1995) (United States)
- Donald Margulies
- Pierre de Marivaux
- Christopher Marlowe (1564–1593) (England)
- John Marston (1576–1634) (England)
- Jane Martin (pen name for unknown playwright) (United States)
- William Somerset Maugham
- Vladimir Mayakovsky (1893-1930) (Russia)
- Marius von Mayenburg
- Dick McBride (born 1928) (United States)
- Martin McDonagh (Ireland) (born 1970)
- Frank McGuinness
- Scott McMorrow
- Terrence McNally (born 1939)
- Mark Medoff
- Charles L. Mee
- Leonard Melfi (United States)
- Menander
- David Mercer
- George Middleton (1880–1967) (United States)
- Thomas Middleton (born 1850) (England)
- Arthur Miller (1915–2005) (United States)
- Willy Millowitsch
- Octave Mirbeau (1848–1917) (France)
- Vilhelm Moberg (1898–1973) (Sweden)
- Molière (1622–1673) (France)
- Jose Zorrilla y Moral
- Félix Morisseau-Leroy (Moriso Lewa) (1912–1998)
- Melvyn Morrow
- Dr. Narendra Mohan
- Agustus Montrose (1830–1899) (England)
- John Mortimer (1923–2009) (England)
- Tad Mosel
- Itamar Moses
- Dimitrios Mpogris (1890–1964) (Greece)
- Sławomir Mrożek (*Poland*/France)
- Heiner Müller (Germany)
- Kaj Munk (Denmark)
- Jimmy Murphy
- Tom Murphy
- Tommy Murphy
- Gary Murway (composer/playwright)
- Robert Musil
N
- Richard Nelson
- Johann Nestroy
- Anthony Neilson
- Peter Nichols
- William Nicholson
- Lars Norén (Sweden)
- Marsha Norman
- Lynn Nottage
- Alden Nowlan (1933–1983) (Canada)
- János Nyíri
- Niloy Roy (India)
O
- Dan O'Brien
- Sean O'Casey (1880–1964) (Ireland)
- Eugene O'Neill (1888–1953)
- Gerlinde Obermeier
- Clifford Odets (1906–1963) (United States)
- Bolaji Odofin
- Han Ong
- Onyeka (England)
- Joe Orton (1933–1967) (England)
- John Osborne (1929–1994) (England)
- Peter Oswald
- Rochelle Owens
P
- Jean Palaprat
- Ralph Pape
- Suzan-Lori Parks
- Angelo Parra
- John Patrick
- Robert Patrick
- Borislav Pekić (1930–1992) (Serbia)
- Tyler Perry (United States)
- Arthur Wing Pinero
- Harold Pinter (1930–2008) (England)
- Luigi Pirandello (1867–1936) (Italy)
- Plautus
- Ulrich Plenzdorf
- Justin Poisson
- Sharon Pollock (Canada)
- Gordon Porterfield (United States)
- Will Power
- Stanisław Przybyszewski (1868–1927) (Poland)
- J. B. Priestley (1894–1984) (England)
- Alexander Pushkin (1799–1837) (Russia)
- Ariel Pytrell
- Narciso Pimentel, Jr.
Q
- Abu Khalil Qabbani (1835–1902) (Syria)
- Philippe Quinault (1635–1688) (France)
R
- David Rabe
- Jean Racine
- Ferdinand Raimund
- Mohan Rakesh (India)
- Jonathan Rand
- Adam Rapp
- Lutz Rathenow
- Terence Rattigan
- James Reaney
- Mary Reinhardt
- Yasmina Reza
- Erwin Riess
- Arnold Ridley (1896–1984) (England)
- Philip Ridley
- Lawrence Riley
- Rainer Maria Rilke
- José Rivera
- Lennox Robinson
- Rony Robinson
- Jack Rosenthal
- Kenneth G. Ross
- Edmond Rostand
- Friederike Roth
- David Rudkin
- Paul Rudnick
- John Ruganda (1941–2007) Uganda
- Sarah Ruhl
- Willy Russell
S
Sa-Se
- Partap Sharma
- Hans Sachs
- Nelly Sachs
- Florencio Sánchez
- Colin Sargent
- William Saroyan
- Jean-Paul Sartre
- Mark Scharf
- Georges Schehadé (1905–1989 – Lebanon)
- Robert Schenkkan (United States)
- Moritz Schiff
- Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805)
- Guillermo Schmidhuber (1943– Mexico)
- Arno Schmidt
- Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt
- Arthur Schnitzler
- Werner Schwab
- Robert Schenkkan
- Will Scott (1893–1964 – England)
- Sandra Seaton
- David Sedaris
- Seneca the Younger
- Ferhan Sensoy
- Bhisham Sahni
- Rick Shiomi
- Francesca Sanders
Sg-Sr
- Anthony Shaffer
- Peter Shaffer, (born 1926)
- William Shakespeare, (1564–1616)
- Ntozake Shange
- John Patrick Shanley
- George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)
- Wallace Shawn (born 1943)
- Rob Shearman
- Edward Sheldon
- Jane Shepard (born 1958)
- Sam Shepard (born 1943)
- Richard Brinsley Sheridan
- Jonathan Marc Sherman
- R. C. Sherriff
- Robert E. Sherwood
- George Shiels
- Del Shores
- Larry Shue
- Nicky Silver
- Lazarre Seymour Simckes (born 1937)
- Neil Simon
- Eric Simonson (born 1960)
- Kenneth Jarrett Singleton
- Bernard Slade
- Anna Deavere Smith
- Charles Smith
- Derrick Matthew Smith
- Turner Austin Smith (born 1996)
- Sophocles
- Aaron Sorkin
- Wole Soyinka
- Ron Sparks
- Biljana Srbljanović
St-Sz
T
- George Tabori
- Rabindranath Tagore 1861–1941 (India – English)
- Steven Talbot
- Rajesh Talwar(Indian writer and playwright)
- Jean Tardieu
- Henry Taylor
- Bernard J. Taylor
- Joshua Taylor (poet and novellist)
- Samuel Taylor
- Vijay Tendulkar (screen writer film Ardh Satya)(India)
- Terence
- Tian Han
- Ernest Thompson (born 1949) (United States)
- Judith Thompson
- Ludwig Tieck
- Habib Tanvir (India)
- Samantha Tennant (born 1996) United States
- Toyin Abiodun (born 1963) (Nigerian Playwright)
- Stephen Tobolowsky (United States)
- Ernst Toller
- Francis Tolson (died 1745-6)
- Colorado Tolston, pseudonym of T. James Belich (born 1976) (United States)
- Bartolomé de Torres Naharro
- Miles Tredinnick
- Kurt Tucholsky
U
- Nicholas Udall
- Alfred Uhry
- Rodolfo Usigli
- Utpal Dutta (Actor,Director)(India)
V
- Alexander Vampilov
- Jaco Van Dormael
- John Vanbrugh
- John William Van Druten
- Jean-Claude van Itallie
- Lennie Varvarides (United Kingdom)
- Lope de Vega (Spain)
- Gil Vicente
- Paula Vogel
- Carlos von Son
- Alfonso Vallejo
- Gore Vidal
W
- Heinrich Leopold Wagner
- Stephen Wakelam
- Susan Wald (writer on General Hospital; Daytime Emmy & WGA Awards nominee & winner)
- Derek Walcott
- Craig Walker
- George F. Walker
- Naomi Wallace
- Martin Walser
- Robert Walser
- Agnes Walsh
- Saadallah Wannous, (Syria), (1941–1997)
- Ronnie Warren (born 1964) (South Africa)
- Dale Wasserman
- Wendy Wasserstein (1950–2006) (United States)
- Keith Waterhouse
- Harrison Watts
- John Webster (1580 – c. 1634) (England)
- Frank Wedekind
- Peter Weiss
- Franz Werfel
- Timberlake Wertenbaker
- Arnold Wesker
- Peter Whelan
- John Whiting
- Adolf von Wilbrandt
- Oscar Wilde (Ireland)
- Thornton Wilder (United States)
- Emlyn Williams (Wales)
- Tennessee Williams (United States)
- David Williamson (born 1942) (Australia)
- August Wilson (United States)
- Laurence Wilson (born 1970) (England)
- Lanford Wilson (United States)
- Nicholas Wright (born 1940) (United Kingdom)
- Jaimie-Lee Harris Marcher Wise (United States)
- Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz a.k.a. Witkacy (1885–1939) (Poland)
- William Wycherley
- Laurence Mark Wythe
- Charles Wood
- Linda Woolverton
Y
- William Butler Yeats (1865–1939) (Ireland)
- Benjamin Yeoh (born 1978) (England)
- Chay Yew
Z
- Gabriela Zapolska (1860–1921) (Poland)
- Birhanu Zerihun (1933/4-1987) (Ethiopia)
- Paul Zindel (1936–2003) (United States)
- Émile Zola (1840–1902) (France)
- José Zorrilla (1817–1893) (Spain)
- Carl Zuckmayer (1896–1977) (Germany/United States/Austria)
- Stefan Zweig (1881–1942) (Austria)
- Zillur Rahman John (born 1959) Bangladesh, Canada
See also
- List of Bosnian playwrights
- List of British playwrights since 1950
- List of Canadian playwrights
- List of French playwrights
- List of German playwrights
- List of Irish dramatists
- List of Irish playwrights
- List of Jewish American playwrights
- List of Slovenian playwrights
- List of playwrights from the United States
- List of early-modern women playwrights (UK)