About KENT
Advancing American theatre by nurturing playwrights, new plays and innovative ways of theatrical storytelling.
Meet Kent Thompson
Kent Thompson is a theatre industry leader, director, consultant, writer and educator. He served as producing artistic director of two major League of Resident Theatres (LORT) — the Denver Center Theatre Company (2005-2017) and Alabama Shakespeare Festival (1989-2005) — and as artistic director of the Virginia Shakespeare Festival (1979-1981). He has produced nearly 300 LORT productions and directed 70.
An early adapter of non-traditional casting, Kent has demonstrated a career-long commitment to increased hiring of women and diverse artists and leaders in the professional theatre. He expanded the focus to programming, artistic leadership, staff, trustees and audiences in Alabama and Denver — and now works to promote diversity and inclusion in theatre throughout the world.
“Kent Thompson’s priority will be to bring female, Hispanic and black voices not only to the four stages but into his administrative offices.”
“Kent Thompson’s priority will be to bring female, Hispanic and black voices not only to the four stages but into his administrative offices.”
“Benediction” by Eric Schmeidl, based on the award-winning book by Kent Haruf. (Pictured: Nance Williamson, Kathleen McCall & Billie McBride)
In Denver
While at the Denver Center, Kent created:
- the Colorado New Play Summit: A premier national festival for the development of new, American plays;
- Off-Center: Innovative, immersive and interactive programming for millennial audiences; and
- the Women’s Voices Fund: The first endowment of its kind to support new plays by women.
Over 12 seasons, the Denver Center Theatre Company commissioned 39 new plays, workshopped 48 new plays and produced 29 world premieres, including:
- The Book of Will by Lauren Gunderson,
- Fade by Tara Saracho,
- The Nest and Our House by Theresa Rebeck,
- The Legend of Georgia McBride by Matthew Lopez,
- black odyssey by Marcus Gardley,
- Just Like Us by Karen Zacarias,
- The Whale by Sam Hunter,
- Lydia by Octavio Solis,
- 1001 by Jason Grote, and
- Sweet & Lucky by Third Rail Projects.
Commissions and premieres have gone on to more than 85 follow-on productions across the United States at theatres including the Goodman Theatre, Yale Rep, Playwrights Horizons, Seattle Rep, Victory Gardens, Northlight Theatre, Primary Stages, Center Theatre Group and Old Globe.
“By the third year after his arrival, the Colorado New Play Summit was well recognized as one the more important new play festivals in the country, and The Women’s Voices Fund was well on its way to its $1 million goal. Today the fund totals more than $1.4 million.”
“By the third year after his arrival, the Colorado New Play Summit was well recognized as one the more important new play festivals in the country, and The Women’s Voices Fund was well on its way to its $1 million goal. Today the fund totals more than $1.4 million.”
“The Alamo” by Ian McRae. (Pictured: Bobby Constanzo, Tim True, Jack Merrill & John Lacy)
In Alabama
While at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Kent:
- created the Southern Writers Project: A premier new-play commissioning and development program for Southern and African-American playwrights;
- brought the ASF Endowment from $345,000 to $18.5 million;
- collaborated with the National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. Department of Defense on a national tour of Macbeth.
Over 16 seasons, the Alabama Shakespeare Festival commissioned 29 new plays and produced 19 world premieres, including:
- A Lesson before Dying, by Romulus Linney, based on the novel by Ernest Gaines
- A Night in Tunisia & The Dreams of Sarah Breedlove by Regina Taylor
- Vernon Early by Horton Foote
- Thunder Knocking on the Door by Keith Glover
- Iago by James McLure
- The Negro of Peter the Great by Carlyle Brown
- Sockdology by Jeffrey Hatcher
- Disguises by Craig Warner
Commissions and premieres have gone on to follow-on productions across the United States at theatres including the Signature Theatre (NYC), Steppenwolf Theatre, Dallas Theatre Center, Baltimore’s Center Stage, Kansas City Rep, Hartford Stage, Goodman Theatre, Northlight, Alliance Theatre and Chance Theatre.
“The Alabama Shakespeare Festival is one of America’s most ambitious and impressive theatrical enterprises.”
“The Alabama Shakespeare Festival is one of America’s most ambitious and impressive theatrical enterprises.”
“King Lear” by William Shakespeare. (Pictured: Sharon Washington and Robert Jason Jackson)
Industry leader, director, writer and educator
Kent is an acclaimed director of a wide variety of theatre, including Shakespeare and the classics, new plays, musicals and contemporary work. He has directed for several professional theatres, including Cleveland Play House, Goodspeed Musicals, Denver Center Broadway, Utah Shakespeare Festival, and Delaware Theatre Company. His production of A Lesson Before Dying by Romulus Linney from Ernest Gaines’ novel opened the 10th anniversary season of Signature Theatre Company in New York. His production of Macbeth was chosen by the NEA and the Department of Defense to tour 13 military bases. He directed Lizard by Dennis Covington, which was featured in the Cultural Collaboration at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games.
Kent served for eight years on the Board of Directors for the Theatre Communications Group, the national organization for the Not-for-Profit Professional Theatre, where he also served as president for three years. He has served on peer review panels for The National Endowment for the Arts (also as chair), The Pew Charitable Trusts, The Fulbright Scholars Program, The Wallace-Reader’s Digest Funds, The Doris Duke Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. He is currently on the Advisory Board of the Horton Foote Prize and is a member of the Playwright Awards Advisory Committee for the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust.
“It appears that Thompson’s Southern Writers Project may well have started producing what the artistic director dreamed it could produce – modern masterpieces enjoyed not just by those who come to Montgomery, but by the world.”
“It appears that Thompson’s Southern Writers Project may well have started producing what the artistic director dreamed it could produce – modern masterpieces enjoyed not just by those who come to Montgomery, but by the world.”
“Just Like Us” by Karen Zacarias, based on the award-winning book by Helen Thorpe. (Pictured: Ruth Livier, Yunuen Pardo, Cynthia Bastides & Adriana Gaviria)
As a theatre consultant, Kent focuses on transition management and leadership, development of new play/musical/works programming, strategic planning based on artistic vision and organizational sustainability, and executive coaching.
His book, Directing Professionally: A Practical Guide to Developing a Successful Career in Today’s Theatre, will be published by Bloomsbury/Methuen Drama in early 2019.
As an educator, Kent has led two conservatory programs, The National Theatre Conservatory MFA Acting Program and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival/University of Alabama MFA Professional Theatre Training Program. He has taught a wide range of courses. Kent is currently a professor and director at the acclaimed New York University Tisch School of the Arts’ New Studio on Broadway.
In 2002, Kent was awarded the Thomas DeGaetani Award by the United States Institute of Theatre Technology. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of William & Mary and was a Draper’s Company Scholar to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, England.
Kent has a great book out. You should read it.
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