DONNA HOKE

WORK WITH DONNA

Donna Hoke offers page-by-page script analysis and career coaching for a reasonable fee. For details, please inquire at donna@donnahoke.com.

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As a kid, I was the one who got the weird looks from other kids—and even grownups—when I questioned something too hard, delved too deep, debated too much, tried to figure out the why of it from a deep human place. It wasn’t until I began writing plays that I found a place to put all those thoughts, and not only put them, but put them in a place where they make sense, a place where I can not only ask the questions, but also get other people to consider them. Where I can put forth an uncomfortable truth, even if it's through history or comedy or adaptation. For a long time, my work centered on posing myriad complicated questions and asking audiences to consider all sides.


The pandemic made me realize something else at the core of having been the kid who always got weird looks, was mocked and bullied, who always felt on the outside: a desperate need for connection. And when you connect asking the complicated question to that, you end up with the grandmama of all questions: why do we find it so difficult to connect with people who are not like us? This feels to me like an extension of all I’ve written before, a discovery of the theme that underlies everything and which continues to drive my work.


INTERVIEWS


Stageways (2012)
The Writing Life (2012)
Buffalo News (2013)


Onstage/Offstage (audio, 2014)
Adam Szymkowicz's "I Interview Playwrights" (2015)
The Road (2018)


BoHo Theatre (video, 2021)
Clamour Creative Conversation (video, 2021)
Hey Playwright (audio, 2022)


The Greenlight (audio, 2022)
Playwright's Spotlight with Donna Hoke (video, 2024)

BIO

A playwright and screenwriter, Donna has had work seen in 48 states (damn those Dakotas--somebody help!) and on five continents, including at Barrington Stage, Barrow Group, Celebration Theatre, Gulfshore Theatre, Queens Theatre, Lake Dillon Theatre Company, Theatre Aspen, The Road, Phoenix Theatre, Atlantic Stage, Purple Rose, Skylight, Pride Films and Plays, New Jersey Rep, Hens and Chickens (London), The Galway Fringe Festival, and Actors Repertory Theatre of Luxembourg. Her first produced play, THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR, ran for ten years in Romania.

Though she is produced across the country and around the world, she has had--since 2022--at least one production in her beloved home city of Buffalo every year and, to date, has worked with thirteen different theater companies there! She is currently prepping a new solo show and a commissioned fringe show for production, a musical collaboration with a planned 2027 world premiere, a screenplay, and a two-play YA commission.

Donna's plays have won multiple awards; twice been on the Kilroys List of best unproduced plays by women; and been finalists for the O'Neill, Austin Film Festival, and Princess Grace Fellowship Princess Grace. She has been nominated for the Primus, Blackburn, and Laura Pels prizes, and is a three-time winner of the Emanuel Fried Award for Outstanding New Play (SEEDS, SONS & LOVERS, ONCE IN MY LIFETIME). She has also twice received Individual Artist Awards from the New York State Council on the Arts to develop HEARTS OF STONE and CANALSIDE, and, in its final three years, Artvoice named her Buffalo's Best Writer—the only woman to ever receive the designation.

During COVID, Donna went after a bucket-list item to have a TV movie produced and she's since had two! Deadly Wives Club in 2024 and An Antique Christmas in 2026. Stay tuned for news on more screenwriting news to come!

Donna also has been serving the Dramatists Guild in various capacities since 2012, is an ensemble playwright at Road Less Traveled Productions, blogger, former moderator of the 13,500+-member Official Playwrights of Facebook, New York Times-published crossword puzzle constructor; children's and trivia book author; and founder/co-curator of BUA Takes 10: GLBT Short Stories. Speaking engagements include Citywrights, Kenyon Playwrights Conference, the Dramatists Guild National Conference, Chicago Dramatists, the Austin Film Festival, and Dramatists Guild webinars. Her commentary has been seen on #2amt, howlround, The Dramatist, the Official Playwrights of Facebook, Workshopping the New Play (Applause, 2017), and at donnahoke.com.

“ Donna Hoke writes dialogue brilliantly, a natural flow, pauses, spurts, silent moments speaking volumes.”

- The Buffalo News

“ With plays like SEEDS, THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR, and SAFE, she examines the anxieties of modern living with palpable apprehension about the future, and in that regard, would seem to be the quintessential Buffalo playwright—but with far more foreboding than A. R. Gurney and far less innocent merriment than Tom Dudzick.”

- Anthony Chase,

ATCA

“ Hoke’s writing is clever and intellectual... [Her] greatest triumph is that while the subject matter of the piece is obvious, she... is not heavy-handed... allowing audiences to draw their own feelings based on the human experiences they witness. The production is thoroughly enjoyable and thought-provoking.”

- New York Theatre Guide

“ THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR is humorous and topical and hot. There are a lot of laughs, but Donna Hoke treats these characters with a lot of sensitivity and humanity, as well.”

- Broadwayworld.com

“ A standout play---period. I've read lots of plays this season set in a school where there are questionable actions between teachers/students, but often the action gets mired in a lot of back-and-forth accusations. [TEACH] stays active and present, showing, not just telling. It questions all the small, subtle interactions, but also shows us the cycles of abuse of power. Definitely easy to produce and more theatrical---stop producing OLEANNA and choose this play instead!”

- Dramaturg Heather Helinsky

“ There’s enough in Hoke’s perceptive dialogue to convey the gist of the situation and lead to a moving conclusion... a well thought-out play with a unique ending.”

- Rita Moran,

Ventura County Star

“ BRILLIANT WORKS OF ART is impeccably structured, contains rich and witty dialogue, and fully -developed, complex characters. Abby and Grant are fiercely unapologetic as they navigate the fascinating world of love, sex, and power. Donna Hoke bravely tells an honest and bold story. In addition to keeping the audience on their toes, BRILLIANT WORKS OF ART asks important questions that will keep the audience thinking and talking.”

- Kate Schwartz,

Literary Manager, Writers' Theatre of New Jersey

“ Donna has crafted a really complex and lovely story that deals with a lot of things we might see in life but pass judgment about. Her use of characters and nuance in the relationships make it a delicious piece of theatre and with 3 actors, [BRILLIANT WORKS OF ART] it is very easy to produce on a shoestring budget. It is unexpected and sexy and a pleasure to dive into as a director and artist.”

- Addie Barnhart,

TheatreLAB RVA

“ "Flowers in the Desert” by Donna Hoke is disguised as a simple piece of drama about relationships. In some moments it is funny, touching and sometimes raw. But what it really is, is anything but simple.”

- Marina Lai

“ Playwright Hoke can write…dialogue flows naturally, real people saying real things… The story has verve, it lives and breathes. ”

- The Buffalo News

“ Buffalo's Donna Hoke is not yet a household name. She's working on it though.”

- Ted Hadley,

The Buffalo News

“ In the stunning ELEVATOR GIRL, Hoke fearlessly takes on more issues than can be counted--rape, consent, body image, "good guys," feminism, misogyny, the patriarchy--but she does it with a feather light touch that later feels like a super-powered punch in the jaw. This is a play that needs to be performed on a REGULAR BASIS for people of all ages, all genders, and all races. ELEVATOR GIRL is the kind of play that will receive a standing ovation everywhere it's performed because audiences won't be able to help it--and then they will discuss it deep into the night.”

- Emily Hageman

“ Donna was wonderful as I worked with her to create a special, unique present for my dear aunt's 80th birthday. Donna took care to meet our needs with timing, level of difficulty, and personalization. The crossword puzzle gift was a hit with everyone and provided lots of head-scratching fun for many families.”

- Elaine. S,

San Francisco CA

“ Donna is the best; I was so lucky I found her. With her help, I was able to give my crossword-loving girlfriend the perfect gift. Donna’s process was easy and enabled me to craft a very clever, personal crossword. My girlfriend LOVED it!”

- Will Wynn,

Austin TX

“ [In TEACH], fascinating and complex relationship and gender dynamics are explored through the unfolding drama between principal, teacher, and high school student. Using the premise of a principal interviewing a teacher (and former love-interest) about the possibility of engaging in an underage affair, Hoke masterfully challenges us to explore our own biases and assumptions about identity, gender, power, love, truth, and lies, as she weaves together a surprising narrative with a fascinating twist. Wonderful writing and a uniquely thought-provoking evening at the theatre. Our audience loved it.”

- Jeffrey Binder,

Associate Artistic Director, Gulfshore Playhouse

“ Outstanding way to tackle the thorny issues of mentorship and professional boundaries. This writer clearly excels at taking tough, complex issues and turning them into a sensational theatrical experience. Add [TEACH] to your reading list today.”

- Yale Drama Prize Winner Jacqueline Goldfinger

“ Award winning local playwright Donna Hoke is certainly “the real deal,” completely immersed in the theatrical/literary scene and she’s been very, very busy. This summer I also attended a workshop production of Hoke’s HEARTS OF STONE and then later a reading of TEACH and so I can reassure you that we’re going to be enjoying her plays well into the future.”

- Peter Hall

Theater Talk

“ Donna’s custom puzzles go beyond just what you ask her to provide. She’ll come back to ask you how she can clue a simple word like ‘lake’ to be significant to the recipient. With such attention to detail, the whole thing is just a joy for the solver.”

- Robert Linwood,

Repeat Customer

“ Hoke manages to avoid clichés and sentimentality throughout, even though the situation at the heart of her text would readily lend itself to tear-floods. Instead, she concentrates on fluctuating emotions and on sharp dialogue, while intimating that old habits will hardly ever die.”

- Janine Goedert

“ Hoke arguably evokes such current writers as Sarah Ruhl or Paula Vogel, women who often locate the untold stories that lie just beneath the surface of what seems to be going on.”

- Anthony Chase,

WBFO's Theater Talk founder

“ Our readers responded to ELEVATOR GIRL’s sharply imagined world and its use of comedic and comic book genres to explore difficult contemporary issues.”

- Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center