“John Proctor Is The Villain,” playwright Kimberly Belflower’s response to “The Crucible,” will be the most-produced work of theater in the United States this season, followed by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ “Purpose,” according to American Theatre Magazine‘s annual calculation.
The list is below, with links to my reviews, when available, usually of the Broadway production.
(It’s 13 due to ties.)
John Proctor is the Villain
by Kimberly Belflower (20 productions)
Purpose
by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (14)
Eureka Day
by Jonathan Spector (11)
Liberationw
by Bess Wohl (11)
Come From Away
Book, music & lyrics by Irene Sankoff & David Hein (10)
Les Misérables
by Claude-Michel Schönberg (music), Herbert Kretzmer (lyrics), Alain Boublil & Jean-Marc Natel (orig. French text) (10)
Dear Evan Hansen
by Steven Levenson (book), Benj Pasek & Justin Paul (music & lyrics) (9)
Primary Trust
by Eboni Booth (8)
The 39 Steps
by Patrick Barlow, adapted from John Buchan and Alfred Hitchcock (8)
Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors
by Gordon Greenberg & Steven Rosen (7)
Peter Pan Goes Wrong
by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer & Henry Shields (7)
Sweeney Todd
by Hugh Wheeler (book), Stephen Sondheim (music & lyrics) (7)
Topdog/Underdog
by Suzan-Lori Parks (7)
The magazine also calculated this season’s top 20 most produced playwrights
*28 due to ties and co-authorship, S
August Wilson (23 productions)
Kimberly Belflower (21)
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (19)
Lauren Gunderson (17)
Bess Wohl (15)
Jeffrey Hatcher (14)
Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer & Henry Shields (12)
Thomas Meehan (12)
Jonathan Spector (12)
David Lindsay-Abaire (11)
Ken Ludwig (11)
Alain Boublil & Claude-Michel Schönberg (10)
Irene Sankoff & David Hein (10)
Tennessee Williams (9)
Steven Dietz (9)
Gordon Greenberg & Steven Rosen (9)
Steven Levenson (9)
Lynn Nottage (9)
Patrick Barlow (8)
Eboni Booth (8)
Jen Silverman (8)
Hugh Wheeler (8)
Karen Zacarías (8)
These lists were calculated from 1,634 total productions: 1,283 non-profit theaters that are members of the magazine’s parent organization, Theatre Communication Group, plus 351 productions at non-member and commercial venues. They did not count the numerous A Christmas Carols or plays by Shakespeare.
