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Dominique Morisseau Headshot

Dominique Morisseau

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BIO

Morisseau began her performance career as a live poetry speaker, primarily in her hometown community of Harmonie Park in Detroit. After graduating from college, she continued acting and worked with several organizations. At the Lark Play Development Center, she worked as an actor in a workshop production of The Mountaintop by Katori Hall, developing the role of Camae. In 2013, in a production at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, she reprised the role of Camae. She continues acting but has said that she would not act in any of her plays' premieres.



Morisseau began writing plays in college. She has said that the lack of suitable roles at the University of Michigan drove her to write plays and create the roles she wanted to perform. She wrote The Blackness Blues: Time to Change the Tune, A Sister's Story at this time.

After college, in 2012 and 2013, she received a Playwrights of New York (PoNY) fellowship at the Lark Play Development Center. She has also worked as a Teaching Artist with City University of New York's Creative Arts Team.

Morisseau has said that music plays a huge part in her work and often informs the work that she is writing. "It's a resource and clue to my work, and music plays a unifier among cultural barriers."

Morisseau was on the list of Top 20 Most Produced Playwrights in America in 2015–16, with 10 productions of her plays nationwide.

Morisseau is a story editor for the television series Shameless on Showtime and is also credited as a co-producer.

She wrote the book for the jukebox musical Ain't Too Proud—The Life and Times of the Temptations, which is directed by Des McAnuff. The musical opened on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre in March 2019. It played pre-Broadway engagements at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre (2017), the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles (August to September 2018), and the Kennedy Center (July 2018).

This play marked Morisseau's Broadway debut. She received a nomination for a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical, the third Black woman to do so.

Photos

Productions

 
[US Tour, 2024]
Book
 
[West End, 2023]
Book
 
[Broadway, 2022] [Replacement]
Playwright[Replacement]
 
[US Tour, 2021]
Book
 
[West End, ] [Replacement]
Playwright[Replacement]

Writing

Playwright
Author
Bookwriter
Playwright
Playwright
Writer

Awards and Nominations


winner
The Lortels - 2024 - Playwrights’ Sidewalk Inductee

Dominique Morisseau

Drama Desk Awards - 2019 - Outstanding Book of a Musical

Dominique Morisseau, Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations

Tony Awards - 2019 - Best Book of a Musical

Dominique Morisseau, Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations


winner
Obie Awards - 2018 - Playwriting Award

Dominique Morisseau, Pipeline

Outer Critics Circle Awards - 2018 - John Gassner Award

Dominique Morisseau, Pipeline

The Lortels - 2018 - Outstanding Play

Dominique Morisseau, Pipeline

Drama League Awards - 2016 - Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play

Dominique MorisseauSkeleton Crew

Videos

News


ArtsWest And The Hansberry Project Present TOPDOG/UNDERDOG
by A.A. Cristi - Jan 8, 2026

ArtsWest and The Hansberry Project will present Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks, directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton, running February 5 through March 1, 2026, at ArtsWest in Seattle.
Cast Set for THE FIRE THIS TIME FESTIVAL at The Apollo
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jan 7, 2026

FRIGID New York and The Apollo will present the 17th season of the Obie Award-winning The Fire This Time Festival, a platform for playwrights of African and African-American descent to write and produce evocative material for diverse audiences.
Dominique Morisseau's DETROIT '67 to be Presented at Temple Theaters
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jan 6, 2026

Written by Obie Award-winning playwright Dominique Morisseau, and directed by Temple Professor Amina Robinson, Detroit '67 will be presented at the Randall Theater.
Last Chance to Vote for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Raleigh Awards; WAITRESS: THE MUSICAL Leads Best Musical!
by BWW Awards - Dec 29, 2025

This is the last chance to vote for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Raleigh Awards! Voting ends on 12/31/2025 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!
PARADISE BLUE Comes to Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe
by Stephi Wild - Dec 29, 2025

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe will continue its 2025-2026 “Soul Of A People” theatre season with the haunting drama – one tempered with jazz and intrigue – “Paradise Blue.”
Final Weeks to Vote for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Raleigh Awards; Diamonds, Pearls, and Pink Roses Productions Leads Favorite Theatre!
by BWW Awards - Dec 22, 2025

We're in the final weeks to vote for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Raleigh Awards! Voting ends on 12/31/2025 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!
Latest Standings Announced for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Raleigh Awards; WAITRESS: THE MUSICAL Leads Best Musical!
by BWW Awards - Dec 15, 2025

The latest standings have been released for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Raleigh Awards! Voting ends on 12/31/2025 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!
Latest Standings Announced for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Raleigh Awards; Theatre Raleigh Leads Favorite Theatre!
by BWW Awards - Dec 8, 2025

The latest standings have been released for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Raleigh Awards! Voting ends on 12/31/2025 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!
First Standings Announced for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Raleigh Awards; RAGTIME Leads Best Musical!
by BWW Awards - Dec 1, 2025

The first standings have been released for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Raleigh Awards! Voting ends on 12/31/2025 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!
Novid Parsi To Receive National Theatre Conference’s Barrie And Bernice Stavis Playwright Award
by A.A. Cristi - Nov 11, 2025

Playwright Novid Parsi has been named the recipient of the 2025 Barrie and Bernice Stavis Playwright Award from the National Theatre Conference (NTC), recognizing an outstanding emerging playwright.
Imani Branch & Friends to Star in Fountain Theatre’s HOLIDAY SOIREE & CABARET
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Nov 4, 2025

Get into the holiday spirit at The Fountain Theatre with a three-night Holiday Soirée & Cabaret celebrating theater, music and community. The centerpiece of this festive series will be the Holiday Soirée.
The Public Theater Reveals 2025-2027 Emerging Writers Group
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Oct 27, 2025

The Public Theater revealed that 10 new playwrights have been selected for the 2025-2027 Emerging Writers Group. Learn more about the writers and the group here!
Review: MUD ROW at Stages Houston
by Jonathan Netek - Oct 19, 2025

Class, love, and family are at the forefront of this poignant generational drama.
Interview: Ashlyn Evans of MUD ROW at STAGES
by Armando Urdiales - Oct 17, 2025

Dominique Morisseau’s Mud Row is a powerful story about legacy, reconciliation, and the unshakable ties that bind families together. Set across two generations of women in one Pennsylvania home, the play explores how the past continues to echo through the present. At STAGES, actor Ashlyn Evans takes on the role of Toshi, a woman fighting to rebuild her life while wrestling with family history, addiction, and the hope of redemption. Evans brings a fierce honesty and emotional depth to the role, capturing both Toshi’s rough edges and her quiet strength.
Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe Will Offer Pride Nights During 2025-2026 Theatre Season
by Stephi Wild - Oct 17, 2025

During Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s 26th theatre season, which will be a celebration of the “Soul of a People,” WBTT will offer Pride Nights during the run of each regular season show.
Review: PARADISE BLUE at Portland Playhouse
by Krista Garver - Oct 16, 2025

Dominique Morisseau's PARADISE BLUE, now running at Portland Playhouse, is an intense, beautifully acted noir drama about community, legacy, and the forces that tear both apart. Set at the Paradise Club in Detroit's Black Bottom neighborhood in 1949, this jazz-infused play opens with a jolt — a trumpet solo pierced by a gunshot. It's a thriller of sorts that explores the individual forces that further complicate the societal impact of gentrification.
Ruben Santiago-Hudson and Joshua Boone Join JOE TURNER’S COME AND GONE
by Stephi Wild - Oct 15, 2025

Additional casting has been announced for August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone on Broadway, starring Taraji P. Henson and Cedric “The Entertainer”. Learn more here!
Jacob G. Padrón To Conclude Tenure At Long Wharf Theatre Following 2025"26 Season
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Oct 2, 2025

Long Wharf Theatre Artistic Director Jacob G. Padrón––who has been with the company since February of 2019––will conclude his role following the 2025–2026 season. Learn more!
Theatre Bay Area to Present An Encore Staged Reading Of BOOK OF GLASS By Michael Lynch
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Sep 8, 2025

​For Bay Area Theatre Week, Theatre Bay Area will present an encore staged reading of Book of Glass, by Michael Lynch. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many shows has Dominique Morisseau written?

Dominique Morisseau has written 6 shows including Pipeline (Author), Ain't Too Proud (Bookwriter), Paradise Blue (Playwright), Confederates (Playwright), Bad Kreyol (Playwright), Soul Train (Writer).

What awards has Dominique Morisseau been nominated for?

Playwrights’ Sidewalk Inductee (The Lortels) for , Outstanding Book of a Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations, Best Book of a Musical (Tony Awards) for Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations, Playwriting Award (Obie Awards) for Pipeline, John Gassner Award (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for Pipeline, Outstanding Play (The Lortels) for Pipeline and Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play (Drama League Awards) for Skeleton Crew.

What awards has Dominique Morisseau won?

Dominique Morisseau has been honored as a Playwrights’ Sidewalk Inductee by The Lortels and has received the Playwriting Award at the Obie Awards for her work on Pipeline.

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Videos