Dano Madden is a playwright, screenwriter, and director, originally from Boise, Idaho. He was recently invited to be an artist-in-residence at the James Stevenson Lost and Found Lab in Connecticut, USA. He has been a fellow at the MacDowell and at the Djerassi Resident Artist Program. Dano’s plays have been produced and/or received development by Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Source Festival, The Artful Conspirators, World At Large Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, The National New Play Network, Mile Square Theatre, Burnt Studio Productions, Northwest Playwrights Alliance, Idaho Theatre for Youth, Kitchen Theatre Company, Rutgers University, The University of Tulsa, Bloomsburg University, Lark Play Development Center, Seven Devils Playwrights Conference, Boise Contemporary Theater, Fordham University, Fullerton College, and Boston Theatre Works, among others. He is a five time Heideman Award finalist. He has won numerous Kennedy Center awards, including the Kennedy Center’s 2007 National Student Playwriting Award and the 2008 Quest for Peace Playwriting Award. He was a finalist for the National New Play Network’s 2010 Smith Prize. Published works include: In the Sawtooths and Drop (Samuel French, Inc.), Beautiful American Soldier and Ella (Best American Short Plays 2005-2006 & 2009-2010), The Save (Playscripts, Inc.), The Soft Sand, Survival, and Therm Gold (Northwest Playwrights Alliance), The Raccoon, Leaving IKEA and Third Ward Scandal (Indie Theater Now) and monologues in The Best Men’s Stage Monologues and Scenes 2010 (Smith & Kraus) and Exceptional Monologues 2 (Samuel French, Inc.) In 2007, Dano was named one of “50 Playwrights to Watch” by The Dramatist magazine.

Dano was the co-creator, producer and writer for the 2016 web series Precious Cargo and the 2017 web series Brokers. Precious Cargo was named one of the 10 best web series of 2016 by Paste Magazine. Huffington Post recognized the show as one of the most addictive web series of 2016. The series has been an official selection for numerous festivals, including the L.A. Web Fest, NYC Web Fest, Brooklyn Web Fest and Miami Web Fest.

Dano received his BA in Theatre Arts from Boise State University and his MFA in playwriting from Rutgers University. Dano has taught dramatic writing at Stockton University, Rutgers University, and at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in the Playwright’s Horizons Theatre School. He is member of the Board of Directors for the Seven Devils New Play Foundry. Dano lives in New York with his wife Lauren and their son Otis.