John Cariani is an actor and a playwright. As an actor, he has appeared in plays and musicals on and off-Broadway and at regional theaters across the country. He’s been nominated for a Tony Award (Fiddler on the Roof), two Grammy Awards (Something Rotten! and Caroline, or Change), and appeared in the Tony Award-winning Best Musical The Band’s Visit.  Well known for his work in television, John has had recurring roles on TV’s Law & Order, Numb3rs and The Onion News Network, and he has appeared in several films alongside luminaries like Robert de Niro, Ed Asner, and Christopher Walken. 

As a playwright, John is best known for his first play, Almost, Maine, which has become one of the most popular plays in the world. It has received over 6000 productions to date and has been translated into over a dozen languages. His other plays (LOVE/SICK, cul-de-sac, and Last Gas) have been produced over 500 times around the world and have also been translated into several languages. His newest play, Darker the Night, Brighter the Stars, will soon be published by Concord Theatrical. As a playwright, John is passionate about making room for the people who made him what he is: rural Americans. Rural Americans are woefully underrepresented in contemporary theatre. When they do appear on stage, they are too often portrayed as sad, addicted, uneducated, and of a certain political persuasion. But they are so much more than that. John’s plays explore the hopeful, joyful parts of hardscrabble lives. And they take a loving look at what it is to grow up in rural America when you feel like you’re not quite like everybody else—and finally learn that you’re actually just like everybody else. 

Darker the Night, Brighter the Stars – Playwright (2023)

Almost, Maine – Playwright (2023)

LOVE/SICK – Playwright 

Last Gas – Playwright