Bess Wohl

Bess Wohl is an American playwright, screenwriter, and actress.

Her plays include: Small Mouth Sounds (winner of the John Gassner Outer Critics Circle Award and featured on top ten lists in The New York Times, The New York Post, The Guardian, and more); Make Believe; American Hero; Barcelona; Touched; In; and Cats Talk Back. She collaborated with composer/lyricist Michael Friedman and The Civilians on the musical Pretty Filthy, which received nominations for the Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk awards for Outstanding Musical. In spring 2019, her newest play, Continuity, will premiere at the Manhattan Theatre Club.

In 2015, Wohl won the Sam Norkin special Drama Desk Award. She has been commissioned by Lincoln Center, Manhattan Theatre Club, Second Stage, The Williamstown Theatre Festival, and Hartford Stage. She is an associate artist with The Civilians and an alumna of Ars Nova's Play Group. Her plays have been produced at such theaters as The Williamstown Theatre Festival, Goodman Theatre, The Geffen Playhouse, Ars Nova, Second Stage, The Contemporary American Theatre Festival, Vineyard Arts Project, People's Light and Theatre Company, The Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Cape Code Theatre Project, The Northlight Theatre, TheaterWorks New Works Festival, Ojai Playwright's Conference, Play Penn, and the New York International Ring Festival.

As a screenwriter, Wohl has been honored with the Athena Award for her screenplay, Virginia, a MacDowell Fellowship, and has been included on Hollywood's Black List of Best Screenplays. She has developed television projects for HBO, ABC, USA, FOX, Disney, Paramount, and more. Before she took up writing, she acted on New York and regional stages and in film and television. Wohl is a graduate of Harvard University and the Yale School of Drama.