Understanding Kaufman's Style
Moises Kaufman is best known for his ethnodrama plays; plays that are created from transcripts, interviews, and other various ethnographic research (Ethnodrama). He was born into a Jewish family within a strong Catholic community, creating natural friction between him and his peers. On top of this barrier, Kaufman is homosexual and therefore was constantly isolated from his community. As a writer, Kaufman has explored the various themes of sexuality, identity, and always in historical context due to the fact his plays are mostly ethnodramas (Authors and Artists for Young Adults).
“Kaufman’s plays aren’t just about subjects—they probe how plays deal with subjects. And that’s what makes Kaufman’s work so distinctive.” –Chicago Tribune (Authors and Artists for Young Adults). As a Tony and Emmy nominated director and playwright, Kaufman has brought important issues to light (American Theatre Wing). In 1991 he founded the Tectonic Theatre Project, where he is now the artistic director. From this theatre, his most known plays were created. His most performed plays, and actually the most performed of the past decade, are The Laramie Project and Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde. Both plays discuss the themes of homosexuality and identity in the unique way of ethnodrama (Authors and Artists for Young Adults).
The Laramie Project, the play he is most known for, is about the killing of a 21-year-old homosexual student killed by two men in 1998, in Laramie, Wyoming. Kaufman, and fellow members of the Tectonic Theatre Project, went to the town of Laramie to interview various people about the killing of the 21-year-old homosexual student. He used these interviews to create monologues and small group scenes of the people of Laramie to tell the story (Thompson). This play became well known and was nominated for several awards. Ten years later, Kaufman wondered how ten years affected the town, so he went back. This led to another play, The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later (Authors and Artists for Young Adults).
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Gross Indecency was Kaufman's first play and was a result of wanting his company to focus more on the issues of text. It was created from the transcripts of the trials of Oscar Wilde. This historical piece was not only a story about homosexuality in Victorian England, but about the artist Oscar Wilde and his views, as well as his impact as an artist and homosexual, the process of art, and the idea of art for art’s sake (Authors and Artists for Young Adults).
Kaufman uses interviews, transcripts, and other various ethnographic researches, to explore themes of identity, sexuality, and history. Since his founding of the Tectonic Theater Project, Kaufman has written and directed a piece of work that “challenges the mind as well as the heart.” Most well known for The Laramie Project and Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, Kaufman has begun to change the ways of creating plays as well as relating historical issues with today (Authors and Artists for Young Adults).
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Works Cited
"Moises Kaufman"
The American Theatre Wing provides a brief summary of Kaufman's work. Audio and visual interviews can also be accessed on this page.
http://americantheatrewing.org/biography/detail/moises_kaufman
"Moises Kaufman." American Theatre Wing (2013). Web. 23 Apr. 2013.
http://americantheatrewing.org/biography/detail/moises_kaufman
"Moises Kaufman." American Theatre Wing (2013). Web. 23 Apr. 2013.
"Moises Kaufman"
This source provides a more detailed biography of Kaufman's life, focusing on his writing styles and plays. The article especially emphasizes Kaufman's role as a director as a central key in how his productions are developed and take shape.
"Moisés Kaufman." Authors and Artists for Young Adults. Vol. 85. Detroit: Gale, 2011. Biography In Context. Web. 23 Apr. 2013.
"Moisés Kaufman." Authors and Artists for Young Adults. Vol. 85. Detroit: Gale, 2011. Biography In Context. Web. 23 Apr. 2013.
Tectonic Theater Project
Tectonic Theater Project's website is utilized to inform audiences of their mission and projects. The website also contains information about current staff and creative team members, including Moises Kaufman.
http://www.tectonictheaterproject.org/Tectonic.html
Tectonic Theater Project. Web. 23 Apr. 2013.
http://www.tectonictheaterproject.org/Tectonic.html
Tectonic Theater Project. Web. 23 Apr. 2013.
Further Reading
"Broadway Review: 33 Variations, But Not Enough to Chew On" by Gwen Orel
This is a review on Kaufman's more recent play, 33 Variations. The play deals with ideas of Beethoven's music through a female music lover.
Orel, Gwen. "Broadway Review: 33 Variations, but Not Enough to Chew On." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 27, 2009. Web. 24 Apr. 2013.
Orel, Gwen. "Broadway Review: 33 Variations, but Not Enough to Chew On." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 27, 2009. Web. 24 Apr. 2013.
"'The Laramie Project' by Moises Kaufman Review" by Debby Thomspon
This source contains a review on The Laramie Project. The review focuses on elements such as the fact that the characters have a collective voice but are unable to solve or rid themselves of their problems. The play was the second Kaufman had written and the first after Gross Indecency so it is through this piece that trends and patterns in Kaufman's work can truly be seen to emerge.
http://sb6nw2tx4e.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Moises+Kaufman+and+the+Tectonic+Theater+Project%2C+The+%27Laramie+Project%27&rft.jtitle=THEATRE+JOURNAL&rft.au=Thompson%2C+D&rft.date=2001-12-01&rft.pub=JOHNS+HOPKINS+UNIV+PRESS&rft.issn=0192-2882&rft.eissn=1086-332X&rft.volume=53&rft.issue=4&rft.spage=644&rft.epage=645&rft.externalDBID=n%2Fa&rft.externalDocID=000172739000011
Thompson, Debby. "'The Laramie Project' by Moisés Kaufman Review." Theatre Journal (53. 4): Dec., 2001. 644-645. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Web. 23 Apr. 2013.
http://sb6nw2tx4e.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Moises+Kaufman+and+the+Tectonic+Theater+Project%2C+The+%27Laramie+Project%27&rft.jtitle=THEATRE+JOURNAL&rft.au=Thompson%2C+D&rft.date=2001-12-01&rft.pub=JOHNS+HOPKINS+UNIV+PRESS&rft.issn=0192-2882&rft.eissn=1086-332X&rft.volume=53&rft.issue=4&rft.spage=644&rft.epage=645&rft.externalDBID=n%2Fa&rft.externalDocID=000172739000011
Thompson, Debby. "'The Laramie Project' by Moisés Kaufman Review." Theatre Journal (53. 4): Dec., 2001. 644-645. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Web. 23 Apr. 2013.
"Moises Kaufman"
This source contains a detailed summary of the plot and style of Kaufman's major plays. This reference discusses the importance of his work and how his new way of creating work is pushing the ideas of how plays are written. It also talks about how Tectonic Theater Project performs these plays.
"Moises Kaufman." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2009. Biography In Context. Web. 24 Apr. 2013.
"Moises Kaufman." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2009. Biography In Context. Web. 24 Apr. 2013.
Information Organized and Collected By:
Ashley Flowers
Ashley Flowers