David Auburn
Encyclopedia
David Auburn is an American playwright
.
He was raised in Ohio
and Arkansas
. He attended the University of Chicago
, where he was a member of Off-Off Campus
, and received a degree in English literature.
Following a fellowship with Amblin Entertainment
, he moved to New York City
and spent two years in The Juilliard School's playwriting program, studying under the noted dramatists Marsha Norman
and Christopher Durang
.
His first full-length play, Skyscraper
, ran Off Broadway in 1997.
His short play, What Do You Believe About The Future?
appeared in Harper's Magazine
and has since been adapted for the screen.
He is best known for his 2000 play Proof
, which won the 2001 Tony Award
for Best Play, as well as the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
.
He has adapted it into a film
, which was released in 2005.
He has also been awarded the Helen Merrill Playwriting Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship
.
Following Proof, he wrote the screenplay for the movie The Lake House
, released by Warner Bros.
in 2006. In 2007, he made his directorial debut with The Girl in the Park
, for which he also wrote the screenplay.
He currently resides in Manhattan
, New York
.
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
.
He was raised in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. He attended the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, where he was a member of Off-Off Campus
Off-Off Campus
Off-Off Campus is an improvisational and sketch comedy group at the University of Chicago, and the second-oldest collegiate group of its kind in the United States. It was founded in 1986 by The Second City co-founder Bernie Sahlins, who is also an alumnus of the U of C.Off-Off Campus stems from a...
, and received a degree in English literature.
Following a fellowship with Amblin Entertainment
Amblin Entertainment
Amblin Entertainment is an American film and television production company founded by director and producer Steven Spielberg and film producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall in 1981. Amblin is only a production company, and has never distributed its own movies, nor has it fully financed its...
, he moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and spent two years in The Juilliard School's playwriting program, studying under the noted dramatists Marsha Norman
Marsha Norman
Marsha Norman is an American playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. She received the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play night, Mother...
and Christopher Durang
Christopher Durang
Christopher Ferdinand Durang is an American playwright known for works of outrageous and often absurd comedy. His work was especially popular in the 1980s.- Life :...
.
His first full-length play, Skyscraper
Skyscraper (play)
Skyscraper is the first full length play by David Auburn. It ran off-Broadway in 1997. It is a serious comedy about the deterioration of ingenuity and art....
, ran Off Broadway in 1997.
His short play, What Do You Believe About The Future?
What Do You Believe About The Future?
What Do You Believe About The Future? is a short one act play written byDavid Auburn where nine numbered characters answer the title's question. The play was first performed in 1996 as part of a revue of plays by Auburn and David Mamet entitled "Two Davids." The production was directed by Carl...
appeared in Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts, with a generally left-wing perspective. It is the second-oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. . The current editor is Ellen Rosenbush, who replaced Roger Hodge in January 2010...
and has since been adapted for the screen.
He is best known for his 2000 play Proof
Proof (play)
Proof is a play by David Auburn originally produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club on 23 May 2000. It then went to Broadway on 24 October 2000 at the Walter Kerr Theatre, and was directed by Daniel J. Sullivan, with Mary-Louise Parker as Catherine, Larry Bryggman as Robert, Ben Shenkman as Hal, and...
, which won the 2001 Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Best Play, as well as the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Pulitzer Prize for Drama
The Pulitzer Prize for Drama was first awarded in 1918.From 1918 to 2006, the Drama Prize was unlike the majority of the other Pulitzer Prizes: during these years, the eligibility period for the drama prize ran from March 2 to March 1, to reflect the Broadway 'season' rather than the calendar year...
.
He has adapted it into a film
Proof (2005 film)
Proof is a 2005 American drama film directed by John Madden and starring Anthony Hopkins, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Hope Davis; it was written by Rebecca Miller, based on David Auburn's Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same title.-Plot:...
, which was released in 2005.
He has also been awarded the Helen Merrill Playwriting Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
.
Following Proof, he wrote the screenplay for the movie The Lake House
The Lake House (film)
The Lake House: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released in 2006.# "This Never Happened Before" - Paul McCartney# " Make You Mine" - The Clientele# "Time Has Told Me" - Nick Drake# "Ant Farm" - Eels...
, released by Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
in 2006. In 2007, he made his directorial debut with The Girl in the Park
The Girl in the Park
The Girl in the Park is a drama film by writer/director David Auburn, who makes his directorial debut here after having written the films Proof in 2005 and The Lake House in 2006...
, for which he also wrote the screenplay.
He currently resides in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Plays
- Are You Ready?
- Damage Control
- Fifth Planet
- Miss You
- Three Monologues
- We Had A Very Good Time
- What Do You Believe About The Future?What Do You Believe About The Future?What Do You Believe About The Future? is a short one act play written byDavid Auburn where nine numbered characters answer the title's question. The play was first performed in 1996 as part of a revue of plays by Auburn and David Mamet entitled "Two Davids." The production was directed by Carl...
- ProofProof (play)Proof is a play by David Auburn originally produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club on 23 May 2000. It then went to Broadway on 24 October 2000 at the Walter Kerr Theatre, and was directed by Daniel J. Sullivan, with Mary-Louise Parker as Catherine, Larry Bryggman as Robert, Ben Shenkman as Hal, and...
- SkyscraperSkyscraper (play)Skyscraper is the first full length play by David Auburn. It ran off-Broadway in 1997. It is a serious comedy about the deterioration of ingenuity and art....
Screenplays
- The Lake HouseThe Lake House (film)The Lake House: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released in 2006.# "This Never Happened Before" - Paul McCartney# " Make You Mine" - The Clientele# "Time Has Told Me" - Nick Drake# "Ant Farm" - Eels...
(2006) - ProofProof (2005 film)Proof is a 2005 American drama film directed by John Madden and starring Anthony Hopkins, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Hope Davis; it was written by Rebecca Miller, based on David Auburn's Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same title.-Plot:...
(2005) (play)