Aaron Kozak (born August 23, 1983) is an American playwright and filmmaker.
Aaron Kozak | |
|---|---|
| Born | Aaron Travis Kozak August 23, 1983 Nacogdoches, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Playwright, Filmmaker |
Early life
editKozak was born in Nacogdoches, Texas. After graduating from Grapevine High School, he went on to study theater at the University of Oklahoma (OU), where he earned a B.F.A. in Drama.
Career
editKozak's inaugural play "Goodbye, Love. Goodbye, Joy. Hello, Travis McElroy" debuted to mixed reviews at Washington DC's Capital Fringe Festival in 2009.[1] However, it was Kozak's sophomore drama "The Birthday Boys," which earned him international acclaim. The play dramatizes a Prisoner of War situation during the Iraq War, where three marines are bound and blindfolded for almost the entire play. In the 2010 world premiere run at the first annual Hollywood Fringe Festival, "The Birthday Boys" earned five major award nominations, including Best of the Festival, and won both the LA Fringe Critic's Choice Award and the Fringe First Award for Best World Premiere. In 2011, "The Birthday Boys" debuted off-Broadway[2] to rave reviews, and became the first live theatre performed since the Vaudeville era at the historic Texas Theatre in Dallas.[3] The run was listed as Dallas' top touring show of 2011, alongside the Broadway Tour of Billy Elliot the Musical.[4] "The Birthday Boys" made its international debut at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, Australia.[5]
In 2012, Kozak joined the Los Angeles-based theatre company Theatre Unleashed as a resident artist, and his latest play, a western epic called "Round Rock", debuted to sold-out runs at the 2012 Fringe Festival and also earned another nomination for the Fringe First Award.[6]
"The Birthday Boys," "Goodbye, Love. Goodbye, Joy. Hello, Travis McElroy," and Kozak's short play compilation "Short Plays for Sad People" are set to be published in 2013.
Plays
edit- Birds and Bees of the Information Age (2013)
- The Pumpkin and Penguin Dialogues (2013)
- Love at First Fight (2013)
- Steers and Queers (2013)
- Bonkers (2013)
- Surrender Dorothy (2013)
- The Oak and The Reeds (2013)
- Round Rock (2012)
- The Birthday Boys (2010)
- Goodbye, Love. Goodbye, Joy. Hello, Travis McElroy. (2009)
Filmography
edit- The Show Businessman (2009)
- Basketball Shorts (2008)
- The Night Audit (2004)
References
edit- ^ "Goodbye Love, Goodbye Joy, Hello Travis McElroy". DC Theatre Scene. 2009-07-16. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
- ^ "Andrea Chalupa: Theater Review: The Birthday Boys". Huffingtonpost.com. 2011-09-21. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
- ^ "Review: The Birthday Boys | The Texas Theatre - Oak Cliff". Theaterjones.com. 2011-05-27. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
- ^ "Critical Rant's Year in Theater". Theaterjones.com. 2011-12-28. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
- ^ "The Birthday Boys". Australianstage.com.au. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
- ^ "Theatre Unleashed brings three shows to Fringe! : LA Bitter Lemons". Losangeles.bitter-lemons.com. 2012-05-26. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
External links
edit- Aaron Kozak on IMDB
- Goodbye Love, Goodbye Joy, Hello Travis McElroy Review by Steven McKnight
- Huffington Post Review of Kozak's The Birthday Boys
- Theatre Jones Review of Kozak's The Birthday Boys
- CriticalRant.com Year in Review 2011, Top Touring Show of 2011 Listing for "The Birthday Boys"
- AustralianStage.com.au article on "The Birthday Boys"
- BitterLemons.com Theatre Unleashed article