Sandy Rustin is a Broadway playwright and actress.

One of the most produced playwrights in America (American Theatre Magazine ’25-’26), Sandy is the founder of the nonprofit Jokes on Her, inaugural recipient of the McCarter Theatre’s Comedy Commission and 2026 recipient of the Bechdel Project’s Room of One’s Own Residency.

Sandy’s original comedy, THE COTTAGE, ran at The Hayes Theatre and was named by ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY one of the best Broadway shows of the year. The Cottage is one of the most produced new comedies across the country, recently receiving seven Theatre Circle nominations for its 2025 production at St. Louis Rep. The play is available for licensing via Dramatists Play Service/Concord Theatricals. For every production of The Cottage, Sandy makes a donation to The League of Women Voters.

Sandy’s stage adaptation of the cult-hit film CLUE has enjoyed over 5,000 productions worldwide. The NY TIMES called CLUE “a welcome throwback to an era of physical comedy!” The U.S. CLUE National Tour schedule can be found here. The play is available for licensing via Dramatists Play Service/Concord Theatricals. 

Sandy’s musical adaptation of MGM’s film, MYSTIC PIZZA will launch a National Tour in the fall of 2026. The cast album is available here. The musical is available for licensing via Concord Theatricals.  

Sandy has penned the book for LOCH NESS, a new musical in collaboration with Ovation winner, Marshall Pailet and AD Penado, slated to have its world premiere at Two River Theatre in 2027.

ALMOST LIKE A DANCE, a musical adaptation of Sandy’s play Houston (recipient of the New American Musical Award), is now in development with Grammy winner, Edie Brickell & The Heavy Makeup Band in partnership with director/choreographer, Josh Rhodes.

Sandy’s newest play, UPGRADE, ran as part of Florida Studio Theatre’s Burdick New Play Festival and is slated for a TBA world premiere in 2027. 

For NY’s City Center’s Encores!, Sandy adapted Jerry Herman’s DEAR WORLD, a NY Times Critic's Pick, directed by Josh Rhodes and starring Donna Murphy, and, with collaborator Sarah Saltzberg, gave a “thorough feminist scouring” (NY Times) to Rogers & Hart’s I MARRIED AN ANGEL, directed by Joshua Bergasse.

Sandy’s play, THE SUFFRAGETTE’S MURDER (“A New American Classic” – Broadway World), is the winner of the Edgerton Foundation New Play Award, the recipient of The Denver Center’s Women’s Fund, and is a Henry Award nominee for “Best New Play.” The play premiered at The Denver Center for Performing Arts and is available for licensing via Dramatists Play Service/Concord Theatricals.

Sandy’s original musical. ALWAYS SOMETHING THERE premiered at The Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre in Chicago. ("A fun, escapist cavalcade of '80s hits! - Chicago Tribune). With over 20 high school productions scheduled for the ’26-’27 school year, Always Something There will soon be available for licensing via Music Theatre International.

In partnership with Disney, Sandy created the musical review: JOLLY HOLIDAY with DISNEY ON BROADWAY, which premiered at Paper Mill Playhouse, the new YA musical: IN THIS TOGETHER for their Junior division, and A STORY FOR BELLE for their cruise lines. 

For Mattel, Sandy created and wrote the book & lyrics for the 47-city national tour of American Girl Live. 

Sandy’s play, EVERYTHING SEEMS LIKE MAYBE, is published and licensed by Playscripts and her sketch comedy musical, Rated P … FOR PARENTHOOD, (“Wistfully Funny!” – The NY Times) opened Off-Broadway at the Westside Theatre, was optioned for TV development with ABC Studios, and is available for licensing through Broadway Licensing/Concord Theatricals.

Sandy’s play, STRUCK (“A Charming Comedy!” – The NY Times) enjoyed two critically acclaimed productions at NJ REP and Theatre Raleigh and is now in development for a commercial production. 

Her comedy, ELIJAH, was named amongst the Jewish Plays Project “Top Plays of 2020” and selected as a semi-finalist in the Eugene O’Neill Festival.

Sandy was the voice director of the YA Panoply Podcast, Jessica Majors from the Peabody Award Winning Gen-Z Team and wrote a kids’ scripted podcast for Gen-Z called, The Magic Sash, hosted by Olympic gold medalist, Aly Raisman.

After being named to Florida Studio Theatre's Playwright Collective in 2020, Sandy developed a masterclass: Writing Comedy for the Stage, which she teaches to a wide range of students all over the globe (thank you Zoom). 

As an actress, Sandy regularly appears at New York’s The Upright Citizen’s Brigade in “Gravid Water” (named “Best Improv Show” by Time Out NY). She works with the Dann & Bruce Company as a voiceover actress on TV shows and films and is an award-winning audiobook narrator. 

Favorite NY acting credits include Found (Atlantic Theatre Company), Modern Orthodox (New World Stages), I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (Westside Theatre), Jolson & Company (Century Center), Sarah, Plain and Tall (Lucille Lortel), and Neil Simon’s Hotel Suite (Roundabout). TV credits include “Inside Amy Schumer,” “The Scariest Show on TV” (Comedy Central), “Law and Order; SVU,” “As the World Turns,” “All My Children” and “Guiding Light.” 

In addition to creating Jokes on Her, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to discovering, championing, and supporting the next generation of women writing bold new comedies for the stage, Sandy, with her family, created the Jerry Kraut Memorial Fund, which supports the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Chicago. She serves on the board of Project Write Now and the advisory board of The Bridge, a new musical incubator. Sandy was co-founding artistic director of Midtown Direct Rep. Northwestern University graduate. Sandy is a member of ASCAP, SAG, AEA, and the Dramatists Guild and is represented by United Talent Agency and Kaplan/Perrone.