Moisés Kaufman facts for kids

Moisés Kaufman (born November 21, 1963) is a talented Venezuelan American theater director and playwright. He is also a filmmaker. He started the Tectonic Theater Project in New York City. He also helped create Miami New Drama at the Colony Theatre. In 2016, President Barack Obama gave him the National Medal of Arts.

Moisés Kaufman is famous for creating The Laramie Project in 2000. He worked on this play with other members of his Tectonic Theater Project. He has directed many plays on Broadway and around the world. He has also written several plays. These include Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde and 33 Variations. He was born and grew up in Caracas, Venezuela. He moved to New York City in 1987.

About Moisés Kaufman

Moisés Kaufman was born in Caracas, Venezuela. His family has roots in Romania and Ukraine. He studied theater at Universidad Metropolitana in Venezuela. After moving to the United States, he continued his studies. He graduated from NYU.

In 2002, he received a Guggenheim Fellowship. This was after his play The Laramie Project became very popular. This play was based on many interviews. It explored the events after the murder of a student named Matthew Shepard.

Moisés Kaufman directed his first Broadway play in 2004. It was called I Am My Own Wife by Doug Wright. For this work, he was nominated for a Tony Award. This award is one of the highest honors in theater.

On September 22, 2016, he received the National Medal of Arts. This special award was given to him by U.S. President Barack Obama. He was the first person from Venezuela to receive this honor. In 2022, he was featured in a book. The book was called 50 Key Figures in Queer US Theatre.

Plays He Wrote

Moisés Kaufman has written many plays. Sometimes he writes them with his theater group. Here are some of his well-known plays:

• Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde (1997)
• The Laramie Project (2000)
• 33 Variations (2009)
• One Arm (2011) (an adaptation of another work)
• London Mosquitoes (2011)
• Here There Are Blueberries (2018)
• Greed (2021)

Plays He Directed

Moisés Kaufman has directed many plays. He has worked on Broadway and in other theaters. Here are some of the plays he has directed:

• Women in Beckett (1991)
• The Nest (1994)
• Marlowe's Eyes (1996)
• Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde (1997)
• The Laramie Project (2000)
• I Am My Own Wife (2003) (his Broadway debut)
• Master Class (2004) starring Rita Moreno
• Lady Windermere's Fan (2005)
• This Is How It Goes (2005)
• Macbeth (2006) at The Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park
• 33 Variations (2009) on Broadway, starring Jane Fonda
• Into the Woods (2009)
• Puss in Boots (El Gato con Botas) (2010)
• Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (2011) on Broadway, starring Robin Williams
• One Arm (2011)
• The Nightingale (2012)
• The Heiress (2012) on Broadway, with Jessica Chastain
• Torch Song (2018) on Broadway
• Paradise Square (2018)
• Here There Are Blueberries (2018)
• Seven Deadly Sins (2021)

Film and TV Work

Moisés Kaufman has also worked in film and television.

• The Laramie Project (2002) (a film version of his play)
• The L Word (2006–07, 2 episodes)

Awards and Honors

Moisés Kaufman has received many awards for his work. Here are some of them:

• 1997 Joe A. Callaway Award for directing Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde
• 1998 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play: Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde
• 2002 Primetime Emmy Award Nomination for Best Director: The Laramie Project (HBO)
• 2002 Primetime Emmy Award Nomination for Best Writing: The Laramie Project (HBO)
• 2002 Golden Bear Award from the Berlin Film Festival: The Laramie Project (HBO)
• 2002 Humanitas Prize: The Laramie Project (HBO)
• 2002 GLAAD Media Award: The Laramie Project (HBO)
• 2004 Obie Award for Best Director: I Am My Own Wife
• 2004 Tony Award Nomination for Best Director: I Am My Own Wife
• 2004 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Director: I Am My Own Wife
• 2009 Tony Award Nomination for Best Play: 33 Variations
• 2016 National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama
• 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama Nomination: Here There Are Blueberries
• Guggenheim Fellowship
• Lambda Book Award
• Matthew Shepard Foundation's "Making A Difference Award"
• Artistic Integrity Award from the Human Rights Campaign
• Carbonell Award
• 2024 Helen Hayes Award: Best Direction Here There Are Blueberries
• 2024 Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors: Outstanding Achievement in Directing Here There Are Blueberries
• 2025 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play: Here There Are Blueberries