Ken Urban
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Ken Urban is an American playwright, screenwriter,
director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...
, and musician based in New York. He is a senior lecturer at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
and leads the Music and Theatre Arts Program's dramatic writing program. Urban is also a resident playwright at
New Dramatists New Dramatists is an organization of playwrights founded in 1949 and located at 424 West 44th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues in the Hell's Kitchen (Clinton) neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The members of New Dramatists parti ...
and an affiliated writer at the Playwrights' Center.


Education and teaching

Urban attended
Bucknell University Bucknell University is a private liberal arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, Freeman College of Management, and the College of Engineering ...
, and graduated '' magna cum laude'' in English in 1996. Before graduating, Urban studied in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
where he wrote his first play while studying contemporary British theatre, citing the work of Sarah Kane, Caryl Churchill, and Martin McDonagh as his inspiration. Following his time in London, Urban returned to the United States to earn a Master's and Ph.D. in English Literature from
Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...
in 2006. After receiving his doctorate, Urban taught at
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
for 8 years, and has since held teaching positions at
Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
and
Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...
, focusing on instruction related to playwriting, screenwriting, academic writing, and dramatic literature. In 2016, Urban was the McGee Visiting Professor of Playwriting at Davidson College. He began teaching at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in fall 2017, and founded the annual Music and Theatre Arts Playwright's Lab, a play festival featuring student-written plays performed by local professional actors.


Plays

Plays Urban has written include ''A Guide for the Homesick, The Remains'', ''Sense of an Ending'', ''The Correspondent'', ''A Future Perfect'', ''The Awake'', ''Nibbler'', and ''The Happy Sad''. His works have been produced by the
Huntington Theatre Company The Huntington Theatre Company is a professional theatre located in Boston, Massachusetts and the recipient of the 2013 Regional Theatre Tony Award, under the direction of Managing Director Michael Maso. It is notable for its longstanding artist ...
,
Studio Theatre A black box theater is a simple performance space, typically a square room with black walls and a flat floor. The simplicity of the space allows it to be used to create a variety of configurations of stage and audience interaction. The black ...
,
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater Rattlestick Theater is a non-profit off-Broadway theater based in the West Village The West Village is a neighborhood in the western section of the larger Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. The traditional b ...
,
Theatre503 Theatre503, formerly the Latchmere Theatre, is a theatre located at 503 Battersea Park Road in Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth, above the Latchmere pub. The venue is known for promoting the work of new writers. History The the ...
(London), The Amoralists Theater Company, Stage Traffic (London), First Floor Theater (Chicago),
59E59 Theaters 59E59 Theaters is a curated rental venue located in New York City that consists of three theater spaces or stages. It shows both off-Broadway (in Theater A) and off-off-Broadway plays (in Theaters B and C). The complex is owned and operated by ...
, SpeakEasy Stage Company, The Summer Play Festival at The Public, and Studio 42. Urban's plays are published by
Dramatists Play Service Dramatists Play Service (also known as The Play Service) is a theatrical-publishing and licensing house, established in 1936 by members of the Dramatists Guild of America and the Society for Authors' Representatives. DPS publishes English-language ...
, and some of his works have been featured in monologue anthologies. In the 2017–18 season, two of Urban's plays had world premieres. ''A Guide for the Homesick'' was directed by
Colman Domingo Colman Jason Domingo (born November 28, 1969) is an American actor, writer, and director widely known for his performance as Mr. Bones in the Broadway musical '' The Scottsboro Boys'' (2011), and for his role as recovering drug addict Ali on HBO ...
, and ran at the
Huntington Theatre Company The Huntington Theatre Company is a professional theatre located in Boston, Massachusetts and the recipient of the 2013 Regional Theatre Tony Award, under the direction of Managing Director Michael Maso. It is notable for its longstanding artist ...
in Boston, Massachusetts from October 6 to November 4, 2017. Following its premiere, ''A Guide for the Homesick'' won the Independent Reviewers of New England's Award for Best New Script, and was additionally produced in London at
Trafalgar Studios Trafalgar Theatre is a new West End theatre in Whitehall, near Trafalgar Square, in the City of Westminster, London. It is set to open in spring 2021 following a major multi-million pound restoration project aiming to reinstate it back to its ...
in the West End in October 2018, directed by Jonathan O'Boyle, and starring
Douglas Booth Douglas John Booth (born 9 July 1992) is an English actor and musician. He first came to public attention following his performance as Boy George in the BBC Two film ''Worried About the Boy'' (2010). He also starred in the BBC adaptations of ' ...
and
Clifford Samuel Clifford Samuel is a British actor. Clifford Samuel began acting at the Anna Scher Theatre. He is from North London and born of Nigerian heritage. Clifford trained at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and graduated early to make his debut a ...
. ''The Remains'' premiered from May 16 to June 24, 2018 at the
Studio Theatre A black box theater is a simple performance space, typically a square room with black walls and a flat floor. The simplicity of the space allows it to be used to create a variety of configurations of stage and audience interaction. The black ...
in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, and was directed by Artistic Director David Muse. ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' called ''The Remains'' "meticulously crafted" and DC Metro Theatre Arts called it "a landmark play". ''The Remains'' was nominated for five Helen Hayes Awards, including the Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding Original New Play or Musical. In February 2017, Urban's play ''Nibbler'' was produced by The Amoralists and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater in New York, receiving strong notices in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' and the '' Huffington Post''. Urban's active projects include ''The Immortals'', a drama about academia and the cellular afterlife of Henrietta Lacks; ''Danger and Opportunity'', a comedy about a married gay couple who decide to start a family with an ex-girlfriend; and ''Inappropriate Sexual Relations'', a narrative podcast that dramatizes an anonymous book of postmodern erotica found in a bookstore in Ithaca, NY. In 2019, ''The Immortals'' will be workshopped at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Urban's previous works have been developed at
Playwrights Horizons Playwrights Horizons is a not-for-profit Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, and to the production of their new work. Under the ...
and
The Civilians The Civilians is an investigative theatre company in New York City founded in 2001 by Artistic Director, Steve Cosson. The Civilians artists pursue their inquiries using interviews, community residencies, research, and other methods. Working with ...
’ R&D Group (both New York),
Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by Mi ...
in London, England,
Huntington Theatre Company The Huntington Theatre Company is a professional theatre located in Boston, Massachusetts and the recipient of the 2013 Regional Theatre Tony Award, under the direction of Managing Director Michael Maso. It is notable for its longstanding artist ...
,
Williamstown Theatre Festival The Williamstown Theatre Festival is a resident summer theater on the campus of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1954 by Williams College news director Ralph Renzi and drama program chairman David C. Bryant. I ...
in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and the Theatre @ Boston Court in Pasadena, California. Urban is also a resident playwright at
New Dramatists New Dramatists is an organization of playwrights founded in 1949 and located at 424 West 44th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues in the Hell's Kitchen (Clinton) neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The members of New Dramatists parti ...
, and an affiliated writer at the Playwrights' Center. He was the Founding Artistic Director of The Committee, a New York-based theatre company that produced "catastrophic theatre" including the first workshop production of Sarah Kane's ''Cleansed''. Urban is represented at United Talent Agency.


TV and film

In 2017, Urban wrote the screenplay for the feature-film adaptation of his play ''The Happy Sad'', which screened internationally at over 25 film festivals. Urban's TV pilot ''The Art of Listening'' was optioned by ITV Studios and David Oyelowo's production company Yoruba Saxon.


Awards/recognition

Urban won Best New Play/Large Theater for ''A Guide for the Homesick'' at the 2017
IRNE Awards The IRNE Awards are presented annually by the Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) to honor the best achievements in Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealt ...
ceremony held April 23, 2018 at the Holiday Inn in Brookline, Massachusetts. In that production, actor
McKinley Belcher III McKinley Belcher III (born March 23, 1984) is an American actor, known for his starring role as Samuel Diggs in the PBS television series ''Mercy Street'', Anthony Carter in the Fox genre drama ''The Passage'', and as Agent Trevor Evans in Ne ...
won for Best Actor in a Play/Large Theater for his dual role as Teddy/Nicholas.
Colman Domingo Colman Jason Domingo (born November 28, 1969) is an American actor, writer, and director widely known for his performance as Mr. Bones in the Broadway musical '' The Scottsboro Boys'' (2011), and for his role as recovering drug addict Ali on HBO ...
was nominated for Best Director of a Play/Large Theater. The production was nominated for Best Set Design by William Boles, Best Lighting Design by Russell H. Champa, and Best Sound Design by Lindsay Jones. ''A Guide for the Homesick'' was also nominated for Outstanding New Script at the 36th Annual Elliot Norton Awards in 2018, as well as Outstanding Production/Large Theater and Outstanding Actor/Large Theater. In 2009, Urban won the 2008 L. Arnold Weissberger Award, given each year by the
Williamstown Theatre Festival The Williamstown Theatre Festival is a resident summer theater on the campus of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1954 by Williams College news director Ralph Renzi and drama program chairman David C. Bryant. I ...
, for his play ''Sense of an Ending''. Urban has also previously won the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, the Huntington Theater Playwriting Fellowship, MacDowell Colony Fellowships, the Dramatist Guild Fellowship, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts Fellowship. Urban has earned additional artist residencies at Headlands and Djerassi.


Reviews

''
The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' called ''A Guide for the Homesick'' "an absorbing tale of conscience and connection" and "a probing, multilayered study of guilt", singling out the performance of actor
McKinley Belcher III McKinley Belcher III (born March 23, 1984) is an American actor, known for his starring role as Samuel Diggs in the PBS television series ''Mercy Street'', Anthony Carter in the Fox genre drama ''The Passage'', and as Agent Trevor Evans in Ne ...
as "one of the most searing performances in recent memory on a local stage". The website TheaterMania.com called ''A Guide for the Homesick'' "a theatrical tour de force".
WBUR-FM WBUR-FM (90.9 FM) is a public radio station located in Boston, Massachusetts, owned by Boston University. It is the largest of three NPR member stations in Boston, along with WGBH and WUMB-FM and produces several nationally distributed progra ...
, on its ''ARTery'' blog, found ''A Guide for the Homesick'' to be "radiant and searing", "sizzling with erotic energy", and "flawless". A new production of ''A Guide for the Homesick'' was produced on the West End at
Trafalgar Studios Trafalgar Theatre is a new West End theatre in Whitehall, near Trafalgar Square, in the City of Westminster, London. It is set to open in spring 2021 following a major multi-million pound restoration project aiming to reinstate it back to its ...
in October 2018. ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' said of ''The Remains'', "Knockout acting… ndwell stocked with humor. ''The Remains'' will spark recognition in anyone who has ever had a long-term relationship – or endured a tense family dinner." ''
Washington City Paper The ''Washington City Paper'' is a U.S. alternative weekly newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The ''City Paper'' is distributed on Thursdays; its average circulation in 2006 was 85,588. The paper's editorial mix is focu ...
'' called it an "emotionally rich family dramedy". And DC Metro Theater Arts said ''The Remains'' is "a landmark play...a riveting comedy that mourns a gay marriage on the rocks. See it with someone you love." The run of ''The Remains'' was extended from the original closing date of June 17, 2018 due to critical acclaim and strong ticket sales.


Publishing and writing

Urban's plays are published by
Dramatists Play Service Dramatists Play Service (also known as The Play Service) is a theatrical-publishing and licensing house, established in 1936 by members of the Dramatists Guild of America and the Society for Authors' Representatives. DPS publishes English-language ...
in the United States (which published ''Nibbler'' in fall 2017), and by Methuen in the United Kingdom and Europe. Several have been featured in monologue anthologies. His essays on theater have appeared in ''Methuen Drama Guide to Contemporary American Playwrights,'' ''Methuen Drama Guide to Contemporary British Playwrights,'' ''Contemporary Theatre Review,'' ''Modern Drama,'' ''A Concise Companion to Contemporary British and Irish Drama,'' ''Cool Britannia: British Political Drama in the 1990s,'' and ''PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art.''


Music

Urban is a co-founder of the band Occurrence, which also features vocalists Cat Hollyer and Johnny Hager. In December 2017, the band released ''The Time of Year,'' for the 2017 holiday season. ''
The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' and news radio
WBZ (AM) WBZ (1030 AM) is a Class A clear channel radio station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts. Originally started by, and formerly owned for most of its existence by, Westinghouse Broadcasting and its successor CBS Radio, WBZ is owned and operat ...
covered its release, with the ''Globe'' saying "something tells us Urban’s downbeat take on the holidays won't be a hit". Occurrence's 2016 LP release ''The Past Will Last Forever'' received strong reviews including from Atwood Magazine and Clicky Clicky Music. The band released is sixth LP, ''Everyone Knows the Disaster Is Coming'', on June 15, 2018. It was preceded by the singles "All of Your Devils" on May 14, 2018 and "Weeping Disability" on June 1, 2018. The Southern Sounding blog said of the LP, "the album clings to the throbbing electronic tendencies of past releases while also carving out a unique and refreshingly integrated musical headspace." The band performed two record-release concerts at
Rockwood Music Hall Rockwood Music Hall is a music venue at 196 Allen Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. Owner Ken Rockwood, aka "The Professor", opened the establishment in 2005 as a small bar and music venue. Today, the venue features ...
in New York City June 15, 2018, and Replay Lounge in Lawrence, Kan., on June 20, 2018.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Urban, Ken 1974 births Living people Bucknell University alumni Rutgers University alumni Harvard University faculty 21st-century American dramatists and playwrights American theatre directors