Thomas Kail
Encyclopedia
Thomas Kail is an American
film and theatre director, known for directing the Broadway
and Off-Broadway
productions of the musical In the Heights
.
and graduated from Wesleyan University
in 1999. He remains good friends with Lin-Manuel Miranda, whom he met at Wesleyan and with whom he co-created the freestyle
hip-hop dance group "Freestyle Love Supreme".
's American Stage Company.
Kail directed the 24 Hour Plays benefit performances in 2007 and 2008, where "6 short plays are written, rehearsed, directed, and performed in 24 hours." In 2007, he directed Julia Jordan's A Bus Stop Play, and Beau Willimon
's Zusammenbruch in 2008. Both shows played at the American Airlines Theatre
on Broadway
.
Kail directed the hit Broadway musical In the Heights
, which garnered him a Tony Award
nomination for Best Direction of a Musical
. The musical premiered on Broadway
, starting in previews
on February 14, 2008, with an official opening on March 9, 2008 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre
.
Kail directed Broke-ology, which played from October 5, 2009 to November 22, 2009, at the Lincoln Center Theatre off-Broadway. This play garnered Kail an AUDELCO
Award nomination for Best Director of a Dramatic Production. Kail also staged the world premiere at the Williamstown Theatre Festival
.
Also in 2009, Kail directed the New York City Center
's Encores!
production of the musical The Wiz
.
Kail also directed Eric Simonson
's play Lombardi
, based on Green Bay Packers
coach Vince Lombardi
through a week in the 1965 season, as he attempts to lead his team to the championship. Lombardi officially premiered on Broadway
at the Circle in the Square Theatre
on October 21, 2010.
He then directed the off-Broadway run of Nathan Louis Jackson's When I Come To Die, which ran in January and February 2011.
With Lin-Manuel Miranda, Kail wrote the closing rap for the 65th Tony Awards
telecast on June 12, 2011, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris
.
Kail will reunite with Lombardi playwright Eric Simonson on MAGIC/BIRD, a new play chronicling the intertwined life stories of basketball Hall of Famers Larry Bird
and Earvin"Magic" Johnson. "The play, with a six-character cast, will premiere at a Broadway theatre TBA in Spring 2012."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film and theatre director, known for directing the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
productions of the musical In the Heights
In the Heights
In the Heights is a musical with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story explores three days in the characters' lives in the New York City Dominican-American neighborhood of Washington Heights....
.
Person life
Kail grew up in Alexandria, VirginiaAlexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
and graduated from Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
in 1999. He remains good friends with Lin-Manuel Miranda, whom he met at Wesleyan and with whom he co-created the freestyle
Street dance
Street dance, more formally known as vernacular dance, is an umbrella term used to describe dance styles that evolved outside of dance studios in any available open space such as streets, dance parties, block parties, parks, school yards, raves, and nightclubs, etc...
hip-hop dance group "Freestyle Love Supreme".
Career
After graduating from Wesleyan University, Kail became assistant stage manager at New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
's American Stage Company.
Kail directed the 24 Hour Plays benefit performances in 2007 and 2008, where "6 short plays are written, rehearsed, directed, and performed in 24 hours." In 2007, he directed Julia Jordan's A Bus Stop Play, and Beau Willimon
Beau Willimon
Beau Willimon is a playwright, whose works have been developed and performed at MCC Theater, Ars Nova, HERE Arts Center, the Phoenix Theatre in Arizona, and the Battersea Arts Centre in London....
's Zusammenbruch in 2008. Both shows played at the American Airlines Theatre
American Airlines Theatre
The American Airlines Theatre is a Broadway theatre, located at 227 West 42nd Street, New York City.-Design:Originally named the Selwyn Theatre, it was constructed by the Selwyn brothers, Edgar and Archie, in 1918. It was one of three theatres they built and controlled on 42nd Street, along with...
on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
.
Kail directed the hit Broadway musical In the Heights
In the Heights
In the Heights is a musical with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story explores three days in the characters' lives in the New York City Dominican-American neighborhood of Washington Heights....
, which garnered him a 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...
nomination for Best Direction of a Musical
Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical
This is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical. Prior to 1960, category for direction included plays and musicals.-1950s:Note: this category was for both dramatic and musical productions...
. The musical premiered on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, starting in previews
Preview (theatre)
Previews are a set of public performances of a theatrical presentation that precede its official opening. The purpose of previews is to allow the director and crew to identify problems and opportunities for improvement that weren't found during rehearsals and to make adjustments before critics are...
on February 14, 2008, with an official opening on March 9, 2008 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre
Richard Rodgers Theatre
The Richard Rodgers Theatre, is a Broadway theater in New York City, built by Irwin Chanin in 1925. When it was first opened, it was called Chanin's 46th Street Theatre. Chanin almost immediately leased it to the Shuberts, who bought the building outright in 1931 and renamed it the 46th Street...
.
Kail directed Broke-ology, which played from October 5, 2009 to November 22, 2009, at the Lincoln Center Theatre off-Broadway. This play garnered Kail an AUDELCO
AUDELCO
AUDELCO, the Audience Development Committee, Inc., was established in 1973 by the late Vivian Robinson to honor excellence in New York African American Theatre through presentation of Vivan Robinson/AUDELCO Recognition Awards...
Award nomination for Best Director of a Dramatic Production. Kail also staged the world premiere at the Williamstown Theatre Festival
Williamstown Theatre Festival
The Williamstown Theatre Festival is a regional summer stock theatre on the campus of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, founded in 1954 by Williams College news director, Ralph Renzi, and drama program chairman, David C. Bryant. The theatre was conceived as a way to use the Adams...
.
Also in 2009, Kail directed the New York City Center
New York City Center
New York City Center is a 2,750-seat Moorish Revival theater located at 131 West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in Manhattan, New York City. It is one block south of Carnegie Hall...
's Encores!
Encores!
Encores! Great American Musicals in Concert is a program that has been presented by New York City Center since 1994. Encores! is dedicated to performing the full score of musicals that rarely are heard in New York City...
production of the musical The Wiz
The Wiz
The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the context of African American culture. It opened on October 21, 1974 at the Morris A...
.
Kail also directed Eric Simonson
Eric Simonson
Eric Simonson is an American writer and director in theatre, film and opera. He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical in 1993 for The Song of Jacob Zulu.- Personal life :...
's play Lombardi
Lombardi (play)
Lombardi is a play by Eric Simonson, based on the book When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi by Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Maraniss.-Synopsis:...
, based on Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
coach Vince Lombardi
Vince Lombardi
Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and...
through a week in the 1965 season, as he attempts to lead his team to the championship. Lombardi officially premiered on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
at the Circle in the Square Theatre
Circle in the Square Theatre
The Circle in the Square Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre in midtown Manhattan on 50th Street in the Paramount Plaza building.The original Circle in the Square was founded by Paul Libin, Theodore Mann and Jose Quintero in 1951 and was located at 5 Sheridan Square in Greenwich Village...
on October 21, 2010.
He then directed the off-Broadway run of Nathan Louis Jackson's When I Come To Die, which ran in January and February 2011.
With Lin-Manuel Miranda, Kail wrote the closing rap for the 65th Tony Awards
65th Tony Awards
The 65th Annual Tony Awards was held on June 12, 2011 to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2010–2011 season. They were held at the Beacon Theatre, ending a fourteen-year tradition of holding the ceremony at Radio City Music Hall. The Awards ceremony was broadcast live on CBS...
telecast on June 12, 2011, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris is an American actor, singer, director, and magician.Prominent roles of his career include the title role in Doogie Howser, M.D., Colonel Carl Jenkins in Starship Troopers, the womanizing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, a fictionalized version of himself in the Harold...
.
Kail will reunite with Lombardi playwright Eric Simonson on MAGIC/BIRD, a new play chronicling the intertwined life stories of basketball Hall of Famers Larry Bird
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...
and Earvin"Magic" Johnson. "The play, with a six-character cast, will premiere at a Broadway theatre TBA in Spring 2012."
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Critical hours Critical Hours is that time from sunrise to two hours after sunrise, and from two hours before sunset until sunset, local time. During that time, certain American radio stations may be operating with reduced power as a result of Section 73.187 of the Federal Communications Commission's... |
Television pilot | ||
Roadtrip Nation Roadtrip Nation began in 2001 as an idea Mike , Nathan, Brian and Amanda, four friends fresh out of college, formed when they were not sure what to do with their lives... |
TV episode | ||
| TV episode | |||
| Episode of PBS' Great Performances Great Performances Great Performances, a television series devoted to the performing arts, has been telecast on Public Broadcasting Service public television since 1972... |
|||
The Electric Company The Electric Company is an educational American children's television series that was produced by the Children's Television Workshop for PBS in the United States. PBS broadcast 780 episodes over the course of its six seasons from October 25, 1971 to April 15, 1977... |
TV series | ||
| Talk show episode | |||
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
External links
- Thomas Kail at the Internet Broadway DatabaseInternet Broadway DatabaseThe Internet Broadway Database is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade association for the North American commercial theatre community....
- Thomas Kail at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Thomas Kail at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...