Kevin Kautzman

Kevin Kautzman (“a ferocious writer for the ‘recession generation’” – Critical Rant) is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter, co-founder of Bad Mouth Theatre Company, and co-host of the Art of Darkness podcast and Mouthing Off, which can be heard online and on 94.1FM in St. Paul. Originally from North Dakota, he holds degrees from the University of Minnesota (BA, History & Philosophy ’03) and the University of Texas at Austin (MFA, Creative Writing, Michener Fellow ’13). His work is published by Broadway Play Publishing, Oberon, Playscripts and Smith & Kraus and has been reviewed in outlets that include Broadway World, the Dallas Morning News, the Guardian, Maryland Theatre Guide, the Pioneer Press, and Time Out London.

Kevin first studied playwriting at the Royal Court’s young writers program and has received both the Jerome and Michener fellowships as well as a number of awards, including the UK International Student Playscript Competition (COYOTE), the Kernodle and the Southwestern Playwriting awards (DREAM OF PERFECT SLEEP) and the Kenyon and Sewanee’s Tennessee Williams playwriting scholarships. His Iphigenia adaptation IRIS with Red Eye in Minneapolis was named best playwriting by Lavender Magazine’s year in review, and has been a finalist for the Yale Drama Series (THEN WAVES), the Pen Center USA (THEN WAVES, WOLF CRY WOLF), and the Princess Grace (DREAM OF PERFECT SLEEP) awards as well as the Lila Acheson Wallace program at Juilliard (MODERATION). His drama DREAM OF PERFECT SLEEP was nominated for an Offie and is available from Oberon and Broadway Play Publishing and his work for the stage has appeared in the UK and US through and at venues including Broad Horizons, the Blank, Dixon Place, the Finborough, History Theatre, the Living Theatre, King’s Head, Page 73, the Playwrights’ Center, Red Eye, Spooky Action, Stage West, Theatre503, and Up.

In collaboration with director Abbie Lucas, he’s written numerous original feature screenplays and a concept for television – one of these screenplays, called GREY DUCK, was the second selection in the Hamilton Film Festival 2021.

His play MODERATION received online readings from Spooky Action, Broad Horizons, Up and the Blank theatres and at the Valdez Theatre Conference. MODERATION premiered in Saint Paul at the Hive, from Bad Mouth Theatre Company, and premiered at the Hope in London in March, 2025, directed by Lydia Parker. MODERATION is available from Broadway Play Publishing. Most recently, his latest play THE ANIMALS received a reading in St. Paul from Bad Mouth Theatre Company, he directed a production of Sean Reycraft’s ONE GOOD MARRIAGE at Phoenix Theater in Minneapolis, also with Bad Mouth, and released BASILISK – a two part AI horror thriller, with Dark Pony Radio.