RICHARD KURANDA (Executive Director, Founding Artistic Director)

Richard got his start at the age of 12 in Northeastern Pa. acting for Pulitzer Prize winner Jason Miller in a production of That Championship Season.  He attended WVU as a scholarship student and then went on to NYC’s burgeoning independent film scene in the 1990s where he worked with Bill Plympton, Avram Ludwig, Sydney Lumet, and Eduardo Machado.  He then attended the New School for Social Research/Actors Studio Drama School where he earned two Masters degrees under Arthur Penn and Romulus Linney.  As a graduate student, he was mentored by Norman Mailer and had three of his plays produced at Circle in the Square. 

After school, he served as the Head of Operations at NY’s Signature Theater Company under James Houghton for 3 years where he managed two Theaters on 42nd St. before accepting a senior director post at The New School/ASDS with James Lipton.  During a 5-year period, he worked towards the expansion of the Repertory season, international television show as well as the expansion of the campus to include the Westbeth Theater Complex.  Kuranda co-founded Epic Repertory Theater in NYC and in a three-year span produced nearly 24 Off-Broadway plays including premieres by David Auburn, JT Rogers, Melody Cooper Romulus Linney, and Lee Blessing.  He went on to become the Associate Artistic Director, Interim Artistic Director and then Producing Director for the Eugene O’Neill Memorial Theatre Center. While at the O’Neill, Kuranda was credited by the New York Times 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.Kuranda has lectured at Yale, Harvard, NYU and various others. 

He is a lifetime member of The Actors Studio (early work at the Actors Studio included a 6-month development of Oedipus Rex with Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, and Estelle Parsons).  His film work with Bill Plympton is a permanent part of the MOMA Collection; he’s a former advocate for the United Nations, Universal Forum of Cultures in Barcelona 2004. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild and The Stage Directors and Choreographers.  Kuranda served as a Mentor for the Kennedy Center, Arts In Crisis program.  Cumulative Box Office for projects developed under his leadership; 2.9 billion US.