Don Nigro was born in Malvern, Ohio and currently lives in nearby Canton, Ohio.

He received a B.A. in English from Ohio State University and an M.F.A. in dramatic arts from Iowa State University.

Nigro has written more than 200 plays, 28 of which have played off Broadway. One of these, Ravenscroft, was adapted into the film The Manor. His plays also include The Transylvanian Clockworks, Seascape With Sharks and Dancer, and My Sweetheart's the Man in the Moon (about Evelyn Nesbit and Stanford White).

He is perhaps best known for his cult work The Curate Shakespeare As You Like It, subtitled Being the record of one company's attempt to perform the play by William Shakespeare.