• Michael D. Dinwiddie
• University Professor, Playwright and Composer

Michael D. Dinwiddie is an award-winning playwright and composer whose works have been produced in New York, regional and educational theatre. A professor of dramatic writing at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, he was honored in 2022 when the Black Liberation Arts Center (BLAC Inc.) in Oklahoma City inaugurated the “Michael D. Dinwiddie Playwright Award” to recognize talented dramatists. Michael’s archival research led to the naming of the African Grove Theatre on NYU’s campus, to commemorate the 1821 playhouse that was the first Black-owned theatre in the United States. For Black Portraitures, he has moderated panels in New York City; Florence and Venice, Italy; Paris, France; Johannesburg, South Africa and Boston, Massachusetts. Michael is president of the August Wilson Society and serves on the boards of the Richard Hunt Legacy Foundation, the College of Fellows of the American Theatre, NewFest LGBTQ+ Film and Media, and the Black Theatre Network.