Playwrights Gallery was founded in 1991 to nourish the work of emerging New York City playwrights. The Gallery holds twice-monthly playwriting workshops from September to June, and produces staged readings. Its acting company reads work in progress and performs finished work for invited audiences.
Plays first introduced at Playwrights Gallery have gone on to be seen at such theaters as:
- GeVa—Rochester, NY
- Montclair TheatreFest—Montclair, NJ
- Eugene O'Neill Playwrights Conference—CT
- Humana Festival, Louisville, KY
- Penguin Rep, Stony Point, NY
- Suncoast Theatre—St. Petersburg, FL
- Hoover-Leppen Theatre, Chicago, IL
- Collision Festival West—Los Angeles, CA
- New Work Festival at the Utah Shakespearean Festival
- Oldcastle Theatre, Bennington, VT
- Penobscot Theatre, Bangor, ME
- St. Croix Falls Festival Theatre, WI
- Tri-State Actors Theatre, Sussex, NJ
- Luna Stage, West Orange, NJ
- Schoolhouse Theatre, Croton Falls, NY
- Detroit Repertory, Detroit, MI
- Bridewell Theatre, London, UK
In New York City, Gallery work has been read or produced by:
- The Abingdon Theatre
- Bechdel Group
- The Cell Theatre
- The Center Theatre
- The Cherry Lane Theatre
- The Women's Project
- Resonance Theatre Co.
- Rattlestick
- West Bank Theatre Center
- Imua Theatre Company
- National Arts Club
- Miranda
- Where Eagles Dare
- Don't Tell Mama's
- American Globe Theatre
- Merkin Concert Hall
- New Dramatists
- Bank Street Theatre
- Samuel Beckett Theatre
- Harbor Theatre
- The Drilling Company
- Michael Weller Theatre
Plays developed at Playwrights Gallery have been produced by:
- The Chip DeFaa Invitational Theatre Festival
- Turnip 15-Minute Play Festival at the American Globe
- New Play Festival, League of Professional Theatre Women
- Samuel French Festival
- The Woodstock Theatre Company
- New World Stages
- The Cherry Lane Theatre
- The Spiral
- The Secret Theatre
- Turn to Flesh Productions
Gallery work has garnered such prizes as:
- The John Golden Prize
- The Thomas Barbour Prize
- Best play, The American Globe
- The East Coast Regional Playwriting Contest First Prize
- The Playwrights First award
- Finalist for the Newman-Woodward prize
- Finalist for the Beverly Hills/Julie Harris Prize
- Finalist for the Ashland New Play Festival
- Finalist for the Heideman Award at Actors Theatre of Louisville (including 2014)
- Finalist for the Mountain Playhouse International Comedy Playwriting Contest
- Finalist for the short play festival at Chicago Dramatists
- Finalist for the Saints & Sinners Literary Festival in New Orleans
- Finalist for the 16th Annual Nantucket Short Play Competition
- Finalist for the Susan Glaspell Award
- Applause Theatre Books
- Dramatists Play Service
- Playscripts
- Smith and Kraus
Actors are members of Actors Equity Association.