My name is Dana Schwartz and I am a playwright. That's a strange statement for me still, writing plays is sort of a "second act" path for me. I started my artistic career as an actress, in my first professional play at 10 (Music Man!), attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York right out of High School, working around the country and winding up in Los Angeles where I was in dozens of Plays, Commercials, TV shows and Films. After I had kids and decided to return to my first love - theater - I decided I wanted to Direct. I realized how exciting it was to be at the helm of a production, guiding a show to fullest potential. Then, I started to notice a decided lack of good juicy funny smart gut-wrenching interesting roles for women over 40. Over 50. Over 60. Roles that weren't a one-line walk on or a dying monologue by a sad grandma. I wanted funny and dirty and interesting and exciting roles for women. I wanted to see women that reflected the people my friends and family and I were becoming. So I wrote one. A short play for a production of Moving Arts' award winning Car Plays. It was funny. It was about women. And I was hooked. This summer I was honored to have my first Full Length World Premiere production of a play I wrote. "Early Birds" is about two senior women who meet on board a cruise ship. It's funny and touching and a little dirty, and real, and was described as "salty and sweet" in a few reviews. It was incredibly rewarding and what I kept hearing was how amazing it was to see older women on stage who living real lives.

I write about people I want to know. On their best days or their worst days, usually they are funny and a little rude and a lot real and they are complex and have flaws and conflict and deep down they are wonderful and human and interesting and did I mention funny? I have four full length plays now and am currently working on a 5th. Representing the people I know and see is my core value as a playwright. I write for diverse casts and audiences and I have been honored to work with incredible artists who come from all different worlds and I hope to continue to meet new people and represent real people.

Thanks for reading this, and for supporting theater. It's my favorite thing.