Michael Charlies Kuchwara (February 28, 1947 – May 22, 2010) was an American theater critic, columnist and journalist. Kuchwara worked as both a critic and journalist for the Associated Press for more than from 1984 until 2010, writing pieces that were read worldwide.^[1] Kuchwara, who was based in New York City, reviewed as many as 200 theater productions a year.^[1]

Kuchwara was born on February 28, 1947, in Scranton, Pennsylvania.^[1] His father, a United States Air Force pilot, worked for the National Security Agency. Kuchwara's interest in theater and the entertainment industry began when he saw his first play during the late-1950s, the comedic Third Best Sport, by Leo G. Bayer and Eleanor Perry, at the Poconos Playhouse in Pennsylvania.^[1]

He received his bachelor's degree from Syracuse University and his master's degree from the University of Missouri.^[1]

Kuchwara worked for the Associated Press for more than 40 years, first as a reporter and then as a theater critic.^[1] He began his career as a journalist for the Associated Press' bureau in Chicago, Illinois.^[1] He moved to New York City to work as an AP editor on the wire service's national desk.^[1]

In 1984, Kuchwara became the Associated Press chief theater critic, a position he held until his death in 2010.^[1]

Michael Kuchwara died at Beth Israel Hospital in Manhattan of idiopathic ischemic lung disease on May 22, 2010, at the age of 63.^[1] He is survived by his sister, Patricia Henley, and wife, Jonnie Kay Kitchen; the couple had been married since 1975.^[1]