Dorothy Heyward née Kuhns, was an American playwright.
In addition to several works of her own, she co-authored the play Porgy (1927) with her husband DuBose Heyward, adapting it from his novel by the same name. Their work is now known best in its adaptation as the opera Porgy and Bess (1935), with music by George Gershwin.
Throughout her career Heyward wrote many plays, most of which did not achieve the same level of success as Porgy. Her play, Jonica, co-written in 1930 with playwright Moss Hart, as well as her plays, South Pacific, Cinderelative, and Set My People Free were all performed on Broadway but were ultimately short-lived.
