Richard Kimmel

Richard Kimmel is a New York City-based theatre director, writer, and theatrical producer. He is executive director of The Box, a venue for theater, music, and nightlife in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and artistic director of Cannon Company, a performing ensemble.

Richard Kimmel
OccupationTheatrical producer
OrganizationThe Box
Notable workSchwarzwald

Biography

Kimmel is a graduate of Columbia University's Master of Fine Arts program in Directing.

He has created and directed live performances and special events such as Pandora (The Box), a light and video show for Jennifer Hudson's New York concert debut One Night Only: Dreamgirls (Hammerstein Ballroom),[1] and Schwarzwald (Roseland). In 2007, Schwarzwald was made into a feature film, Schwarzwald: The Movie You Can Dance To, written and directed by Kimmel. The film, which has no spoken words, is based on music and footage filmed at the 2006 Black Party in the Roseland Ballroom, noted for its sexually charged shows.[2] Following premieres in New York (NewFest) and Los Angeles (OutFest Platinum Selection), the film screened in Paris, Amsterdam, and Montreal.

Kimmel's other New York directing and producing credits include Puss (the Performing Garage), Pleasuredome I and II (Combustive Arts), Witches' MacBeth (HERE, Angel Orensanz Center, WAH Center),[3] and Three Sisters (28th Street Theater), The Secret Agent (Dactyl). He also produced and directed the Pleasure Blister cabaret series at downtown New York City nightclub Filter 14, and the New Lost City 2004 New Year's Eve extravaganza at the Lunatarium in Dumbo, Brooklyn.

His international and regional credits include The Tooth of Crime (New Grove Theatre, London), Endgame (Actor's Workshop, Boston), American Buffalo (14th Street Playhouse, Atlanta), Twelfth Night (Alliance Theater, Atlanta), and The Comedy of Errors (Theatre Emory, Atlanta).

For many years, Kimmel has been an associate with The Wooster Group,[4] working in a variety of roles ranging from producing the Performing Garage's "Visiting Artist Series" and "Emerging Artist Series" to helping secure funding for special projects. He was assistant director of the Group's 2002 repertory production To You, The Birdie! (Phèdre),[5] and has toured to more than 20 cities internationally with the show, including London, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Istanbul.

Kimmel co-founded the New York City performance-art theater The Box on Valentine's Day in 2007 with partners Simon Hammerstein (the grandson of famed lyricist and playwright Oscar Hammerstein II) and Randy Weiner.[6][7] The club, which The New York Times said "was labeled the savior of hip Manhattan nightlife" when it opened, was the subject of controversies in 2008. Two performers alleged inappropriate behavior by Kimmel and Hammerstein (which they both denied, and their other employees discounted), the extreme nature of some of the club's acts was criticized, and noise complaints lead to the local community board recommending that the club's liquor license renewal be denied.[7][8] (The license was ultimately renewed.[4]) In 2011, Kimmel and his partners opened The Box Soho in London.

Kimmel is a member of the Lincoln Center Director's Lab, and recipient of awards from the NEH, the Princess Grace Foundation, and the New York State Council on the Arts.

References
  1. Portantiere, Michael (December 22, 2006). "Jennifer Hudson to Perform in Concert at Hammerstein Ballroom". TheaterMania. New York: TheaterMania.com. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
  2. Rule, Doug (September 18, 2008). "Watch and Dance The experimental 'Schwarzwald' movie comes to Town". Metro Weekly. Washington, D.C.: Jansi. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  3. Marks, Peter (August 22, 1997). "Keeping Pace in a Marathon of Playgoing". The New York Times. New York. Theater section. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
  4. French, Alex (November 23, 2008). "The Impresario of Smut". New York Magazine. New York: New York Media. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
  5. Brantley, Ben (February 19, 2002). "THEATER REVIEW; Racine's Pale Queen, Struggling With Racket Sports". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
  6. Trebay, Guy (February 4, 2007). "New York is King for a Week". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
  7. Salkin, Allen (September 26, 2008). "Imperiled, the Box Defends Itself". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
  8. "Pervy Performers Accuse the Box of Everything Imaginable, and Then Some". Grub Street New York. New York: New York Media. September 10, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
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