Welcome!

John Bavoso (he/him/his) is a Washington, DC-based playwright, marketer, and book/theatre reviewer, and this is his tiny slice of the Internet. Thanks for stopping by!

Theatre
John mostly writes plays about women and queer people who are awkwardly attempting (and generally failing) to engage with serious subject matter using only dry wit and impeccably timed combative taunts. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, a 2019 Lambda Literary Fellow, and the recipient of District of Columbia FY18 and FY19 Arts and Humanities Fellowships. His first full-length play, Olizzia, premiered at the 2014 Capital Fringe Festival, prompting DC Metro Theatre Arts to dub him "a playwright to watch out for." His plays have been produced and/or developed in DC, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin; Canada; Japan; South Korea; India; United Arab Emirates; Australia; England; and Scotland.

John's short pieces include Adam & Steve, Kylie and Janet and Robyn and Cher, Happy Hour, Threat Level: Cream, Plus One, The Morning After The Fall (The Best 10-Minute Plays, 2022), Homo for Christmas, The Home for Retired Canadian Girlfriends (The Best New Ten-Minute Plays, 2021), Prometheus Shrugs (The Best Ten-Minute Plays, 2021), Indelible, Unburied, Blackout Wednesday, and An Awkward Conversation in the Shadow of Mount Moriah, while his full-length works include Olizzia, Over Her Dead Body: A Bluegrass Benediction (Best Musical and Best Overall Show, 2016 Capital Fringe Audience Awards; Best Musical, 2024 Capital Fringe Audience Awards), BLIGHT (Next Stage Press), MLM is for Murder (Or, Your Side Hustle is Killing Us) (AACT NewPlayFest 2022 Winner; Dramatic Publishing), Camp Mannuppia, and FAG~GODS.

Journalism/Criticism/Marketing
As a marketing professional and social media specialist, John has experience in the advertising, e-commerce, and professional services marketing industries. He's also a copywriter, blogger, and book and theatre reviewer whose work has appeared on websites like Jezebel.com, Lambda Literary Review, and DC Theatre Scene and in magazines such as the Diplomatic Courier, the G8 Summit Magazine, and Metro Weekly. John was recently a Day Eight DC Arts Writing Fellow. His passion is bringing a touch of creativity, humor, and whimsy to everything he writes.

John is available for freelance work. For more info, use the Contact form to get in touch.