Will Dunne is an author, playwright, and teacher. Now in its second edition, his bestseller “The Dramatic Writer’s Companion,” published by the University of Chicago Press, has been translated into Polish by PWN in Warsaw. Other books from the Press include “Character, Scene, and Story” and “The Architecture of Story.” All three are being translated into Chinese by Ginkgo Books in Beijing.

Dunne’s plays have been presented worldwide in three languages. Special honors include three selections by the O’Neill for the U.S. National Playwrights Conference, a Charles MacArthur Fellowship for comedy, four Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards, two DramaLogue Playwriting Awards, and Best-of-Year mention from the San Francisco Examiner. He has twice been a finalist for the Heideman Award at Actors Theatre of Louisville.

A Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists since 2006, Dunne is an active member of the Chicago theatre community. “The Roper” was produced by The Den Theatre and nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Award for Best New Work. Other Chicago productions include: “The Ascension Of Carlotta” and “Love and Drowning” at 16th Street Theatre; “How I Became An Interesting Person at Chicago Dramatists”; “The Death And Life Of John Smith” at Concordia College; “Deep Gardens” at Second City and also at The Artistic Home; “Two Men On A Train Platform,” “Tea Time,” and “The Red Door Ajar” at The Artistic Home.

Dunne has conducted more than 2,000 dramatic writing workshops and served as a dramaturg at the O’Neill under the Artistic Direction of Lloyd Richards. While based in Chicago, he teaches monthly weekend playwriting intensives at the Phoenix Theatre in downtown San Francisco through Will Dunne Dramatic Writing Workshops, founded in 1988 and now celebrating more than 30 years of new play development.

Web site: www.willdunne.com