Riley Elton McCarthy

A "vanguard figure of socially conscious theatre" (Lena Hunter, CPHPost), Riley Elton McCarthy is a critically acclaimed playwright, performer, and director. They are a member of Actor's Equity Association, and The Dramatists Guild.

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“The most original voice in horror since Mike Flanagan” (Rory Ford, The Scotsman), Riley writes scary plays for all those queer insomniacs who love everything that goes bump in the night. Riley’s writing, that “displays a unique and intellectual writing style; combining a mix of natural, poetic dialogue, wit, and narration” (Phoebe Louise, Lost in Theatreland) has been seen and published internationally, spanning from Edinburgh, London, Denmark, and beyond, and their magnum opus, IVORIES, is available for purchase at The Drama Book Shop after being published by NextStage Press. Riley's writing has been compared to the great American gothic of Tennessee Williams, the exploration of thematic grief of Ari Aster, and the riveting queer-positive thrillers of Emerald Fennell.

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They are a two-time Eugene O’Neill Semi-Finalist for Sharon and Melina and I'M GOING TO EAT YOU ALIVE, and are a two-time SheNYCArts Semi-finalist for The Lesbian Play and Take Me Down to the Levee, and a semi-finalist for the 2023-24 Dramatists Guild Fellowship. Their production of IVORIES at 59E59 and Edinburgh Fringe was nominated for an Off-Fest Award and long-listed for the Brighton Fringe Award for Excellence. They’ve been produced commercially at CultureLab LIC with I'M GOING TO EAT YOU ALIVE and at The Triad Theater with The Lesbian Play, and they’ve had presentations of their work at The Brick, The Gilbert Theater, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Tank, 59E59, and Yale School for Drama. They are a resident playwright with Lakehouseranchdotpng, a resident playwright in the TGNB2S+ Affinity Intensive with Workshop Theater, INKubator with Art House Productions, and CPH HOTMeat in the International World Pride festival in Copenhagen. Their work has been nominated for 32 Off/Off-Off-Broadway BroadwayWorld Awards. Riley has also worked directly with Adam Driver's Arts in the Armed Forces. ​​​​​



Riley is a proud Irish-Dane in the city that never sleeps. They live in Coney Island (and are aware of the commute), and were raised all over the United States, but mostly North Carolina. When they aren't writing, they're probably reading a Brönte sisters novel, indulging in Dead By Daylight, or enjoying a cup of earl grey.



MFA: New York University (Musical Theatre Writing) - 2026

BFA: Marymount Manhattan College (Playwriting & Acting) - 2021