Yaw Asare was born in Nkonya-Tayi. He trained as a teacher and taught at several schools before entering the University of Ghana, Legon. His outstanding achievements as a scholar and writer were recognised by his being awarded the Kwame Nkrumah Prize for excellence in African Studies (1992) and Playwright of the Year award for 1997 by the Arts Critics and Reviewers Association of Ghana. He was among the most versatile and accomplished people active in the Ghanaian Theatre. He was a lecturer at the School of Performing Arts until he passed away in 2002.