RILEY ELTON MCCARTHY (they/he) is a Danish-Irish playwright, performer, and screenwriter. Called “a vanguard figure of socially conscious theatre” (CPHPost) and “the most original voice in horror since Mike Flanagan” (The Scotsman), their work blends poetic naturalism, wit, and emotional precision. Their writing is often compared to the psychological horrors of Ari Aster and kitchen sink dramas of Tennessee Williams. Riley has performed Off-Broadway, in developmental readings around New York City, and all over the globe. For their many performances as Sloane in IVORIES, they were nominated for an OFFIE, and a nomination for BroadwayWorld's Off-Broadway Award for Leading Performer in a Play.

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Riley’s plays have been produced internationally, including IVORIES (Off-West End debut at The Old Red Lion, London, July 2025), I'M GOING TO EAT YOU ALIVE (CultureLab LIC), and The Lesbian Play (The Triad Theater). Their writing is published by NextStage Press and available at The Drama Book Shop.

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They are a two-time Eugene O’Neill Theater Center semifinalist, a Saltonstall Residency finalist, a SheNYCArts and Dramatists Guild Fellowship semifinalist, and a two-time Juilliard Playwriting finalist. Their work has been featured at 59E59, The Brick, The Tank, Yale School of Drama, New York University, and supported by residencies including Workshop Theater’s TGNB2S+ Intensive and Art House Productions’ INKubator. They were a resident playwright in the 2021 International World Pride Festival in Copenhagen.

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Riley is a proud member of Actors’ Equity and The Dramatists Guild. They are a current MFA candidate at NYU (MFA, Musical Theatre Writing ’27), and received training at Rutgers (MFA, Playwriting ’24), and Marymount Manhattan College (BFA, Playwriting & Acting ’21). When not writing, Riley can be found reading Irish Gothic literature, watercoloring to documentaries, playing horror games, or spoiling their four beloved pets. The Oscars are their Super Bowl—and they take their predictions very seriously.​