Richard Kuranda
Encyclopedia
Richard Kuranda is an American director and artist
of stage, cinema and television. He currently is the director of the Raue Center for the Arts in Crystal Lake, Illinois
and the current Artistic Director of an Off Broadway company, Epic Repertory Theater Company. He resides in Illinois with his wife and three children. In 2005, The New York Times profiled Kuranda as one of the nation's top theater talents to watch (at the time he was the youngest producing director of a Tony Award winning Theater). Kuranda has had working relations with Former Senator Bob Kerry, Senator Christopher J. Dodds and others.
Kuranda spent part of the 90's as an independent contractor working on several projects with Xe Services LLC.
, Kuranda was educated at the Jesuit Scranton Preparatory School
, then attended West Virginia University
as a scholarship student and at the Actors Studio program at the New School for Social Research from which he holds two Masters degrees under the guidance of Romulus Linney and Arthur Penn. As a graduate student he was mentored by Norman Mailer. Kuranda has lectured at Yale, Harvard, NYU and various others. He also served as an advocate for the United Nations in conjunction with the Universal Forum of Cultures in Barcelona 2004.
Kuranda's first professional film work was as a teenager, discovered by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Jason Miller
. Kuranda worked for several years as a youth in the Scranton Theater. His first professional theatrical work was at the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival. His film work includes a series of films with Bill Plympton, which are part of the MOMA permanent collection. Kuranda's collaboration with Plympton helped launch the budding New York Underground Film and Video Festival helmed by Todd Phillips and Andrew Gurland. The New York Times chronicled the festival's opening with a half-page photo of Kuranda cutting his tongue with a dinner knife. Kuranda's early work at the Actors Studio included a lengthy exploration of Oedipus Rex with Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and Estelle Parsons.
He is the former Producing Director of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center
. He also served as interim Artistic Director as well for The O'Neill and all its programs. While at the O'Neill, Kuranda was credited by the New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/27/theater/theaterspecial/27piep.html?_r=1&n=Top%2FReference%2FTimes%20Topics%2FPeople%2FO%2FO'Neill%2C%20Eugene as restoring confidence to its national programs with the addition of Michael Bush, Wendy C. Goldberg and Oz Scott. Projects developed under his tenure at the O'Neill included In The Heights and {title of show} amongst others which have debuted at nearly every major regional theater in the US. He served as the Head of Operations at NY's Signature Theatre Company under James Houghton. Kuranda co-founded Epic Repertory Theater in NY and in a three-year span produced nearly 24 off Broadway plays including works by David Auburn, JT Rogers, Romulus Linney and Lee Blessing.
Kuranda was a principal at Elliott Associates ; having opened doors to film production in his first three.
Kuranda is a lifetime member of The Actors Studio, and the former Director of Professional Development for The Actors Studio Drama School having replaced the retiring Associate Dean, Stephen Benedict. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild and The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. Kuranda serves as a Mentor for the Kennedy Center, Arts In Crisis program.
Kuranda cites his collaborations with Bill Plympton, Jack Temchin, Al Pacino, JT Rogers and James Lipton as defining moments in his career.
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
of stage, cinema and television. He currently is the director of the Raue Center for the Arts in Crystal Lake, Illinois
Crystal Lake, Illinois
Crystal Lake is a city located in southeastern McHenry County in northeastern Illinois, in the Chicago suburbs. It is named after Crystal Lake, a lake located west-southwest of downtown. Crystal Lake is also a suburb of the city of Chicago. The population was 38,000 at the 2000 census, but as of...
and the current Artistic Director of an Off Broadway company, Epic Repertory Theater Company. He resides in Illinois with his wife and three children. In 2005, The New York Times profiled Kuranda as one of the nation's top theater talents to watch (at the time he was the youngest producing director of a Tony Award winning Theater). Kuranda has had working relations with Former Senator Bob Kerry, Senator Christopher J. Dodds and others.
Kuranda spent part of the 90's as an independent contractor working on several projects with Xe Services LLC.
Biography
Born in 1969 in North Eastern PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Kuranda was educated at the Jesuit Scranton Preparatory School
Scranton Preparatory School
Scranton Preparatory School is a Catholic and Jesuit college preparatory day school for boys and girls. The current enrollment is 860 students. Prep is fully accredited by the Pennsylvania State Department of Public Instruction and by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools...
, then attended West Virginia University
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
as a scholarship student and at the Actors Studio program at the New School for Social Research from which he holds two Masters degrees under the guidance of Romulus Linney and Arthur Penn. As a graduate student he was mentored by Norman Mailer. Kuranda has lectured at Yale, Harvard, NYU and various others. He also served as an advocate for the United Nations in conjunction with the Universal Forum of Cultures in Barcelona 2004.
Kuranda's first professional film work was as a teenager, discovered by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Jason Miller
Jason Miller (playwright)
Jason Miller was an American actor and playwright. He received the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play That Championship Season, and was widely recognized for his role as Father Damien Karras in the 1973 horror film The Exorcist...
. Kuranda worked for several years as a youth in the Scranton Theater. His first professional theatrical work was at the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival. His film work includes a series of films with Bill Plympton, which are part of the MOMA permanent collection. Kuranda's collaboration with Plympton helped launch the budding New York Underground Film and Video Festival helmed by Todd Phillips and Andrew Gurland. The New York Times chronicled the festival's opening with a half-page photo of Kuranda cutting his tongue with a dinner knife. Kuranda's early work at the Actors Studio included a lengthy exploration of Oedipus Rex with Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and Estelle Parsons.
He is the former Producing Director of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center
Eugene O'Neill Theater Center
The Eugene O'Neill Memorial Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut is a 501 not-for-profit theater company founded in 1964 by George C. White. The O'Neill is the recipient of the . The O'Neill is home to the National Theater Institute , and several major theater conferences including the...
. He also served as interim Artistic Director as well for The O'Neill and all its programs. While at the O'Neill, Kuranda was credited by the New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/27/theater/theaterspecial/27piep.html?_r=1&n=Top%2FReference%2FTimes%20Topics%2FPeople%2FO%2FO'Neill%2C%20Eugene as restoring confidence to its national programs with the addition of Michael Bush, Wendy C. Goldberg and Oz Scott. Projects developed under his tenure at the O'Neill included In The Heights and {title of show} amongst others which have debuted at nearly every major regional theater in the US. He served as the Head of Operations at NY's Signature Theatre Company under James Houghton. Kuranda co-founded Epic Repertory Theater in NY and in a three-year span produced nearly 24 off Broadway plays including works by David Auburn, JT Rogers, Romulus Linney and Lee Blessing.
Kuranda was a principal at Elliott Associates ; having opened doors to film production in his first three.
Kuranda is a lifetime member of The Actors Studio, and the former Director of Professional Development for The Actors Studio Drama School having replaced the retiring Associate Dean, Stephen Benedict. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild and The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. Kuranda serves as a Mentor for the Kennedy Center, Arts In Crisis program.
Kuranda cites his collaborations with Bill Plympton, Jack Temchin, Al Pacino, JT Rogers and James Lipton as defining moments in his career.
External links
- NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/27/theater/theaterspecial/27piep.html
- The O'Neill Malden and Douglas
- Universal Forum
- http://www.epic-rep.com/Bios.html
- http://www.gc.cuny.edu/press_information/current_releases/september_2003_prelude.htm
- http://www.newschool.edu/admin/middlestates/docs/appendb.pdf