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. Read More

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PRODUCTION PHOTOS

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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

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

- The Buffalo News

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

- The Buffalo News

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

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

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


CONNECT ON INSTAGRAM: @dhokeplays