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David Auburn

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David Auburn
Born(1969-11-30)November 30, 1969(age 54)
Chicago, Illinois,U.S.
OccupationPlaywright, screenwriter, theatre director
EducationUniversity of Chicago(BA)
Juilliard School(GrDip)
Children2

David Auburn(born 30 November 1969)[1]is an American playwright, screenwriter and theatre director. He is best known for his 2000 playProof,which won the 2001Tony Award for Best PlayandPulitzer Prize for Drama.He also wrote the screenplays for the2005 film version ofProof,The Lake House(2006),The Girl in the Park(2007), andGeorgetown(2019).

Early life[edit]

Auburn was born inChicago, Illinois,to parents Mark and Sandy Auburn. He was raised inOhiountil 1982 when his family moved toArkansas.After graduating from high school in 1987, he attended theUniversity of Chicago,where he was a member ofOff-Off Campus,and received aBachelor of Artsdegree in English literature in 1991. Following a one-year fellowship withAmblin Entertainment,he moved toNew York Cityin 1992. Auburn spent two years in theJuilliard School's playwriting program, studying under the noted dramatistsMarsha NormanandChristopher Durang.

Career[edit]

Auburn wrote several short plays, collectively grouped asFifth Planet and Other Plays.The plays, called "cockeyed and engaging little one-act comedies", were presented at Beowulf Alley Theatre Company, Tucson, Arizona, in January and February 2008.[2]The plays are:Fifth Planet,Miss You,Are You Ready,Damage Control,Three Monologues,What Do You Believe About The Future?andWe Had A Very Good Time.[3]Fifth Planetis a two-person play with 44 short scenes.Miss Youis a "telephone play about love and unfaithfulness"[2]with a two-person cast, with each actor playing 2 roles, named "man" and "woman".[4]We Had A Very Good Timefollows a married couple at the end of a vacation in an unnamed foreign country.[2]Damage Controlconcerns a political consultant preparing his political Boss for a speech about a scandal the politician is involved in.[2]What Do You Believe About The Future?appeared inHarper's Magazineand has since been adapted for the screen.[1]

Auburn's first full-length play,Skyscraper,ranOff Broadwayin September – October 1997. It concerns a group attempting to save a historic skyscraper from being demolished.

Auburn is best known for his 2000 playProof,[5]which won the 2001Tony Awardfor Best Play, as well as the 2001Pulitzer Prize for Drama.[6]He adapted it into afilm,which was released in 2005.[7]

His playThe Columnisthad its world premiere in a production by theManhattan Theatre ClubonBroadway,running from April 3, 2012 through June 3, 2012 and starringJohn LithgowwithBoyd Gaines,Margaret Colin,Stephen Kunken,Marc Bonan,Grace GummerandBrian J. Smith,with direction byDaniel Sullivan.[8]Lost Lakepremiered Off-Broadway in a Manhattan Theatre Club production at New York City Center—Stage 1, running from November 11 to December 21, 2014. Directed by Daniel Sullivan, the two-person cast starredJohn HawkesandTracie Thoms.[9]The play was developed at the Eugene O’Neill Playwrights Conference and presented at the Sullivan Project at the University of Illinois in February 2014.[10][11]The first reading ofLost Lakewas done at the O'Neill Center Rose Theater Barn July 26–27, 2013, directed byWendy C. Goldbergand starring Frank Wood and Elsa Davis.[12]

Auburn has been awarded the Helen Merrill Playwriting Award and aGuggenheim Fellowship.[13]He received theKesselring Prizein 2000 forProof;the prize is given to a playwright who shows the most promise and comes with a $10,000 monetary award.[14]

FollowingProof,he wrote the screenplay for the movieThe Lake House,released byWarner Bros.in 2006. In 2007, he made his film directorial debut withThe Girl in the Park,for which he also wrote the screenplay.[15]He has also directed stage works. He directed the playSickby Zayd Dohrn at theBerkshire Theatre Festivalfrom August 18 to September 6, 2009.[16]He directedAnna ChristiebyEugene O'Neillat the Berkshire Theatre Festival in July 2013.[17]He directed the playSide EffectsbyMichael Wellerin June and July 2011 at the Off-Broadway MCC Theater.[18]

Personal life[edit]

Auburn currently resides inManhattan,New York.He has a wife and two daughters.

Plays[edit]

Screenplays[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ab"David Auburn (1969–)".Encyclopedia of Arkansas.
  2. ^abcdReel, James."Confronted With Issues"Tucson Weekly,January 24, 2008
  3. ^Auburn, David."Fifth Planet and Other PlaysShort Comedy Collection "dramatists, accessed September 12, 2015
  4. ^abcdAuburn, David.Fifth Planet and Other Plays,Dramatists Play Service Inc, 2002,ISBN0822218259,pp. 8, 42, 68
  5. ^The Broadway League."David Auburn | IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information".IBDB.RetrievedAugust 6,2010.
  6. ^"Online NewsHour: Pulitzer Prize Winner – April 20, 2001".Pbs.org. April 20, 2001. Archived fromthe originalon August 12, 2010.RetrievedAugust 6,2010.
  7. ^Weber, Bruce."David Auburn News – The New York Times".Topics.nytimes.RetrievedAugust 6,2010.
  8. ^"'The Columnist' Listing ".Theatre Communications Group. Archived fromthe originalon November 1, 2013.RetrievedMarch 26,2012.
  9. ^"David Auburn's 'Lost Lake', Starring John Hawkes & Tracie Thoms, Opens Off-Broadway"broadway, November 11, 2014
  10. ^"The Sullivan Project. 'Lost Lake'"Archived2015-08-18 at theWayback Machinekrannertcenter, accessed September 2, 2015
  11. ^Stasio, Marilyn."Off Broadway Review: ‘Lost Lake’ Starring John Hawkes"Variety,November 11, 2014
  12. ^Saifi, Sophia."Playbill 's Brief Encounter With David Auburn, on 'Lost Lake', at the Annual Playwrights Conference"August 2, 2013
  13. ^"David Auburn – John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation".Gf.org. Archived fromthe originalon June 22, 2011.RetrievedAugust 6,2010.
  14. ^Ehren, Christine."Proof's David Auburn Wins Kesselring Prize"Playbill, October 11, 2000
  15. ^David AuburnatIMDb
  16. ^"David Auburn Press Release"myvanwy.tripod, April 21, 2009, accessed September 2, 2015
  17. ^Dorsey, Christina."Pulitzer winner David Auburn develops new play the O’Neill"theday, July 26, 2013
  18. ^"'Side Effects' Listing"Archived2012-10-17 at theWayback Machinelortel.org, accessed September 2, 2015
  19. ^"'tick, tick...BOOM!' Listing ".mtishows.RetrievedApril 4,2012.

External links[edit]

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