Jeffrey Sweet

Playwright, journalist, theatre historian, teacher, sometime performer, sometime songwriter.

A couple dozen plays including THE VALUE OF NAMES, FLYOVERS, PORCH, THE ACTION AGAINST SOL SCHUMANN, BLUFF, WITH AND WITHOUT, COURT MARTIAL AT FORT DEVENS, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE and forthcoming off-Broadway play, KUNSTLER. Also co-wrote two musicals, WHAT ABOUT LUV? (with Susan Birkenhead and Howard Marren) and I SENT A LETTER TO MY LOVE (with composer Melissa Manchester). Lots of productions in New York, Chicago and on regional and international stages. Also wrote a fair amount of television, including (as creative consultant) award-winning adaptation of PACK OF LIES.

Books? Probably best-known one is SOMETHING WONDERFUL RIGHT AWAY, an oral history of Second City that in turn inspired the creation of a number of other theatres. The title has become a commonly-used catch-phrase in the improv world. (Most recently, the book made cameo appearances in Mike Birbiglia's fine film, DON'T THINK TWICE.) Other books include THE O'NEILL (about the O'Neill Center) and three books on playwriting -- THE DRAMATIST'S TOOLKIT, SOLVING YOUR SCRIPT and the forcoming WHAT PLAYWRIGHTS TALK ABOUT WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT WRITING.