BPT was founded in 1981 by Nobel laureate Derek Walcott when he began teaching poetry and playwriting at Boston University.

[2] In 2022, Kate Snodgrass retired as artistic director after 35 years of working at Boston University.

Megan Sandberg-Zakian succeeded her as BPT's artistic director and playwright Nathan Alan Davis as the head of the MFA Playwriting Program.

[4] In 2016, Boston Playwrights' Theatre made official this partnership with Boston University's School of Theatre and the BU Graduate School of Arts & Sciences on a series of MFA Playwriting thesis plays acting as a showcase for pieces written by graduating students in BU's MFA playwriting program.

BPT now collaborates closely with much onstage and backstage talent provided by students in BU's theater school, who work with the playwrights throughout the year.