Anne Kauffman

Anne Kauffman is an American director known primarily for her work on new plays, mainly in the New York area. She is a founding member of the theater group The Civilians.
Early life and education.
Kauffman received her undergraduate degree from Stanford University and her MFA from the graduate directing program at UCSD.
Kauffman has said: "I'm attracted to plays that need the theater and belong only to the theater...I've always been very interested in writers who have a kind of mystery to them--something that makes me work a little hard and is compelling and mysterious...trying to get at the world from a slightly odd angle...I do love working with a playwright more than once."
Career.
Kauffman directed "The Thugs" by Adam Bock Off-Broadway at the Soho Rep in 2006. She received the 2007 Obie Award for direction for this production.
Kauffman directed Amy Herzog's "Belleville" Off-Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop in 2013. The reviewer for "Time Magazine" wrote : "She [Kauffman] serves the play wonderfully, with a light but firm hand, for a tense, almost breathtaking hour and a half." She also directed "Belleville" at the Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, in 2013. The reviewer of the Chicago production noted "Kauffmann's tense, adroit, nuanced, deftly cast production..." She directed Amy Herzog's "Mary Jane" Off-Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop in Sept. 2017. Jesse Green, in his review for "The New York Times", noted "Ms. Kauffman’s ideally detailed direction."
Past Off-Broadway productions include "Maple and Vine" by Jordan Harrison (2011) and Pulitzer Prize finalist play "Detroit" by Lisa D'Amour (2012) at Playwrights Horizons;. "Stunning" by David Adjmi (2009) and "Slowgirl" by Greg Pierce (2012) at LCT3 ; "You'd Better Sit Down: Tales From My Parents' Divorce" (Written with The Civilians) at The Flea Theater (2012); "This Wide Night" by Chloe Moss by Naked Angels Theater Company (2010); "Sixty Miles to Silver Lake" by Dan Le Franc at Soho Rep (2009); "Have You Seen Steve Steven" by Ann Marie Healy with 13P (2007); "God's Ear" by Jenny Schwartz at The Vineyard and New Georges (2007); and "The Ladies" by Anne Washburn at the Cherry Lane Theater and Dixon Place (2004).
In 2016, she directed "Smokefall" by Noah Haidle with Zachary Quinto at the Off-Broadway Lucille Lortel Theatre in an MCC production; she had previously directed the play at the South Coast Repertory, and the Goodman Theatre in 2013. She directed "The Nether" by Jennifer Haley in 2015 for MCC. She directed "Marjorie Prime" by Jordan Harrison at Playwrights Horizons in 2015. This was the second time that Kauffman and Harrison worked together. In 2014 she directed the Off-Broadway production of "You Got Older" by Clare Barron at HERE. She directed "Sundown, Yellow Moon" by Rachel Bonds, which premiered Off-Broadway at the WP Theater in a co-production by Ars Nova and WP in 2017. Ben Brantley, in his review for "The New York Times", noted the " beautifully acted production...directed with probing sensitivity by Anne Kauffman."
In 2017, she directed "Marvin's Room" on Broadway for Roundabout Theatre Company, "Assassins" at Encores! Off-Center, "Mary Jane" at New York Theater Workshop, and "Hundred Days" at the Under the Radar Festival and New York Theater Workshop. In 2018, she directed "The Lucky Ones" at the Connelly Theater for Ars Nova, and "Hundred Days" at La Jolla Playhouse, where she is about to direct Lindsey Ferrentino's "The Year to Come."
Kauffman's past regional productions include "Body Awareness" by Annie Baker (2012) at the Wilma Theater; and Pulitzer Prize finalist "Becky Shaw" by Gina Gionfriddo (2009); "The Flea and the Professor" by Jordan Harrison at the Arden Theatre Company (2011); "Six Degrees of Separation" by John Guare at the Williamstown Theatre Festival (2010); "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" by Adam Bock and Todd Almond at Yale Rep (2010); "The Communist Dracula Pageant" by Anne Washburn at ART (2008); "Expecting Isabel" by Lisa Loomer and "Doubt" by John Patrick Shanley at "Asolo Repertory Theatre" (2007); "Act A Lady" by Jordan Harrison at the Humana Festival of New American Plays (2006); and "Typographer's Dream" and "Shaker Chair" by Adam Bock (2005).
She is a Sundance Program Associate, a Usual Suspect at New York Theatre Workshop, an alumna of the Soho Rep Writers and Directors Lab, a current member of Soho Rep’s Artistic Council, Lincoln Center Directors Lab, The Drama League of New York, a founding member of The Civilians, an Associate Artist with Clubbed Thumb and co-creator of the CT Directing Fellowship, and member of New Georges Kitchen Cabinet. From 2000-2006, Kauffman was on the directing faculty at NYU. Kauffman is an Executive Board Member of the SDC.
Kauffman is the Artistic Director of New York City Center's Encores! Off-Center, and was the co-Artistic Director with Jeanine Tesori for the 2018 season.
Awards and honors.
She received the 2007 Obie Award for direction of "The Thugs".
She received the 2015 Obie Award, for sustained excellence of direction.
Other awards include a Lilly Award for directing in 2010, the Alan Schneider Director Award, the Joan and Joseph Cullman award for Exceptional Creativity from Lincoln Center, 2004 Big Easy Award, and Ambie Award (for "The Children's Hour") in New Orleans.
She has received Philadelphia's Barrymore Award for Best Direction in 2010 for "Becky Shaw," and in 2012 for "Body Awareness".
"Detroit" by Lisa D'Amour was listed in the top 10 productions of 2012 by "The New York Times", "New York Magazine", "Time Magazine" and "TimeOut NY."
She was nominated for the 2015 Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Director of a Play for "You Got Older" by Clare Barron.
She was nominated for the 2011 Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Director for "This Wide Night" by Chloe Moss.
She was nominated for the 2013 Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Director for "Belleville".
She was nominated for the 2016 Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Director for "Marjorie Prime".
She was nominated for the 2016 Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Director, for Adam Bock's "A Life".
She received both the 2018 Lortel Award for Outstanding Direction of a play, and the 2018 Obie Award for Directing for "Mary Jane." 