Kevin Kautzman

Kevin 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 a variety of outlets including Broadway World, the Dallas Morning News, the Guardian, Time Out London, and the Pioneer Press.

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 and scholarships, including the UK International Student Playscript (COYOTE), the Kernodle and the Southwestern Playwriting awards (DREAM OF PERFECT SLEEP) and the Sewanee and Kenyon playwriting scholarships. His IRIS with Red Eye in Minneapolis was named best playwriting by Lavender Magazine’s year in review. He 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 in addition to 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 Dixon Place, the Finborough, History Theatre, the Living Theatre, King’s Head, Page 73, the Playwrights’ Center, Red Eye, and Theatre503.

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.

Most recently his play MODERATION received online readings from Spooky Action, Broad Horizons, Up and the Blank theatres. In 2023 his latest play THE ANIMALS received a reading in St. Paul from Bad Mouth Theatre Company, and he directed a production of Sean Reycraft’s ONE GOOD MARRIAGE at Phoenix Theater in Minneapolis, also with Bad Mouth.