Broadway & Beyond: America’s Top Touring Playwrights

A Cultural Renaissance on the Road

NOVEMBER 2025 - In the heart of Times Square, inside the famed 1501 Broadway building, Dr. Chad Lawson Cooper is redefining what it means to merge faith, film, and theatre. The hum of the city below mirrors the energy of his vision above a Broadway producer who built his empire not through mainstream institutions but through relentless independence and purpose. Cooper’s story, and that of his peers, reflects a movement across America: a new era of Black touring playwrights reshaping national theatre into something deeply human, culturally specific, and globally resonant.

Their stages stretch from Los Angeles to Birmingham, from New York to Houston, telling stories of justice, joy, and identity. Collectively, they represent the pulse of a generation, one that views performance not just as entertainment but as testimony. These are the top ten celebrity Black touring playwrights of 2025 artists who carry Broadway beyond its borders and into the hearts of communities nationwide.

Dr. Chad Lawson Cooper: The Broadway Mogul of Social Justice

From his Times Square headquarters, Dr. Chad Lawson Cooper commands an empire built on storytelling that stirs both conscience and soul. As founder of The Chad Cooper Company on Broadway, Cooper’s brand fuses artistry with activism. His national touring production, Justice on Trial Reloaded, invites audiences into a courtroom unlike any other where history, law, and faith share the same stage.

The production has toured over 100 U.S. cities, filling venues such as the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, the Tina Knowles Theater in Houston, and Birmingham’s Boutwell Auditorium, which holds more than 4,000 spectators. For audiences, a Cooper performance is more than theatre; it is a social awakening.

His companion projects, including Justice on Trial: The Movie and the forthcoming docudrama The Journey, continue this mission. Together they amplify themes of racial justice, spiritual resilience, and historical truth. Cooper’s ticket prices ranging from $77 to over $150 place him among the few independent playwrights capable of commanding Broadway-level audiences nationwide.

A recipient of the Black Men Rock Award and National Playwright of the Year honors, Cooper blends faith, film, and philanthropy into what he calls “Black Excellence on Tour.” With credits on BET+ including Trouble Waters, Revival, and Super Turnt, his creative portfolio proves that cultural storytelling can thrive both on stage and screen. His work embodies purpose-driven entertainment that bridges Sunday morning and Saturday night a rare balance of ministry and mastery.

David E. Talbert: The Commercial Showman

David E. Talbert’s journey from the urban theatre circuit to Hollywood encapsulates the dream of creative expansion. Long before Netflix called, Talbert was captivating national audiences with productions like Love in the Nick of Tyme and What My Husband Doesn’t Know. His stories combined romance, humor, and moral tension, turning everyday experiences into theatrical gold.

As a filmmaker, Talbert transitioned seamlessly to the screen. His Netflix holiday musical Jingle Jangle became an instant classic, reflecting his ability to blend commerce with culture. Talbert’s brand thrives on accessibility stories that reach across class and creed while remaining rooted in the Black experience. His touring model remains a blueprint for playwrights seeking to sustain both artistic integrity and financial viability.

Katori Hall: The Pulitzer Queen and Television Visionary

Few voices in contemporary theatre echo with as much authenticity as that of Katori Hall. A proud daughter of Memphis, she channels the soul of the South into every syllable she writes. Her breakout play The Mountaintop, which imagines Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s final night, earned her international acclaim. Later, The Hot Wing King won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, cementing her place among the greats.

As the creator of the hit Starz series P-Valley, Hall brings unapologetic Southern womanhood to the screen with both grit and grace. She uses her platform to highlight stories often ignored by mainstream narratives, reminding audiences that authenticity is its own kind of revolution. Hall’s national reach, both through touring theatre and television, demonstrates the new creative model: one where art and advocacy coexist seamlessly.

Dominique Morisseau: The Broadway Dramatist of Detroit

Dominique Morisseau writes with rhythm, empathy, and unflinching honesty. Her Detroit trilogy Detroit ’67, Paradise Blue, and Skeleton Crew captures the city’s heartbeat and the resilience of its working-class citizens. She brings Motown’s cadence to the stage, transforming social commentary into melody.

Her play Pipeline, which examines the school-to-prison crisis, has toured schools and regional theatres nationwide, igniting dialogue about education and equity. A Tony-nominated writer for Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations, Morisseau continues to define her generation of playwrights through storytelling that confronts America’s contradictions with compassion and courage.

Marcus Gardley: The Poetic Historian

Marcus Gardley’s plays read like lyrical testaments to collective memory. Works such as The Road Weeps, The Well Runs Dry and The House That Will Not Stand weave myth, spirituality, and modern Black life into symphonic narratives. Gardley’s national touring productions bring historical figures to life in ways that make them feel strikingly present.

His recent work on FX’s The Big Cigar expands his reach beyond the theatre, proving his mastery of both epic storytelling and intimate emotional truth. Gardley’s writing transcends genre; it feels like history sung aloud, reminding audiences that the past is never truly past.

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins: The Broadway Visionary

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins has redefined contemporary theatre with intellect and edge. His 2024 Tony Award for Appropriate marked not just a personal triumph but a turning point for modern dramaturgy. Plays like Gloria and Everybody expose the complexities of identity and privilege with humor and precision.

Jacobs-Jenkins represents the intellectual vanguard of the movement a playwright unafraid to provoke while maintaining deep empathy for his characters. His touring works invite audiences to wrestle with discomfort and recognition, encouraging collective reflection on the systems that shape our lives.

Aleshea Harris: The Ritual Innovator

Aleshea Harris approaches theatre as ceremony. Her acclaimed plays Is God Is, On Sugarland, and What to Send Up When It Goes Down blur the line between performance and ritual, audience and altar. Through her work, theatre becomes a sacred space for mourning and rebirth.

Harris’s national productions have transformed venues into healing grounds, inviting communities to participate rather than merely observe. Featured in The New York Times, Vogue, and The Los Angeles Times, she is redefining the boundaries of theatrical engagement. Harris’s vision proves that the future of theatre is not passive it is participatory, purposeful, and profoundly human.

Donja R. Love: The Voice of Empathy and Healing

Donja R. Love writes with tenderness and transparency. His plays one in two, Sugar in Our Wounds, and Fireflies bring the intersection of Blackness and queerness into the center of the stage, not the margins.

Touring nationally through schools, community centers, and major theatres, Love’s work invites dialogue about identity, visibility, and healing. His TED Talks echo the same truth his plays embody: that vulnerability is revolutionary. Love’s mission is clear to make space for empathy where silence once lived.

Jordan E. Cooper: The Young Broadway Star

At only twenty-seven, Jordan E. Cooper has already made history. His explosive Broadway debut Ain’t No Mo’ challenged institutions while introducing a bold new voice to the American stage. As creator of BET+’s The Ms. Pat Show, Cooper balances satire with social commentary, turning laughter into illumination.

Cooper’s touring performances attract young audiences hungry for authenticity. His style unfiltered, witty, and fearless signals a generational shift in Black theatre. He reminds both peers and predecessors that courage remains the most valuable currency in art.

Ricardo Khan: The Institutional Elder

Ricardo Khan stands as a bridge between eras. As co-founder of the world-renowned Crossroads Theatre Company in New Jersey, he helped establish the first African American-run theatre to win a Tony Award. His touring works Fly and Satchel Paige and the Kansas City Swing celebrate Black heroism through the universal language of music and motion.

As an educator and mentor, Khan’s influence extends beyond the stage. He continues to cultivate emerging playwrights who view theatre not as a destination but as a vehicle for change. His career is proof that institutions can evolve when anchored in purpose and integrity.

A New Era in Black Theatre

These ten playwrights share more than success; they share a mission. From faith to film, from grassroots tours to Broadway marquees, their stories challenge the limits of genre and geography. Together, they prove that Black theatre is not a niche movement but a national force, rich with diversity, discipline, and daring imagination.

The next chapter of American theatre will not be written solely on 42nd Street. It will unfold in cities across the country, wherever audiences gather to be moved, challenged, and transformed.