I feel like we're living in the "godlen age of Dramedy" right now. Aside from the heavy dramas, I feel like I hardly ever see a new play that doesn't following the formula of "start funny, end serious" and/or "be funny, but in very weird, experimental, heady way." So it's hard to categorize many new plays these days, and even harder to pinpoint playwrights of any gender who have specifically made a name for themselves being funny, as opposed to being a generally good/interesting writer, who also happens to use humor. I feel like we see a lot of the latter, very little of the former (btw, I'm not saying any of this as a bad thing).
But here are some female playwrights who I think are most adept at using humor:
--Lynn Nottage - people don't associate her with comedy, but she can be very funny when she wants to be. See Fabulation, Vera Stark, and even Clyde's to a certain extent.
--Halley Feiffer - hit or miss in terms of quality, but she is someone who leans more toward comedy, and has often done it well.
--Sarah Ruhl - her humor is often quiet, and has an undertone of melancholy, but she can definitely be very witty and funny.
--Bess Wohl - again, not someone I'd highlight as one of the "funniest playwrights," but certainly a strong playwrights who leans comedic.
--Jocelyn Bioh - known for using her lighthearted approach as a statement, when approaching subject matter that's usually subject to trauma porn.
--Clare Barron - definitely more in the "weird, heady, experimental" camp of humor, but I WOULD say she's particularly funny.
Also, here are some PLAYS by female playwrights that I find particularly funny, but I didn't include them above because I don't know enough of the playwright
"Do You Feel Anger" - by Mara Nelson-Greenberg
"Hurricane Diane" - by Madeleine George
"Collective Rage - Jen Silverman
“Eddy and Dave” - Amy Staats
Also a bonus shoutout to The Mad Ones, whose last 2 plays were screamingly funny - devised by a mix of genders, directed with a strong comedic hand by Lila Neugebauer.
Speaking of directors, I also want to shout out Margot Bordelon - one of my favorite directors for comedy. She’s really good at nailing off-beat, silly-but-smart humor.
Updated On: 4/25/22 at 06:47 PM
