Mark D. Kaufmann

Mark D. Kaufmann  has directed numerous musical productions for the York Theatre in New York City, and 42nd St. Moon in San Francisco among other companies.  Specializing in rarely produced shows, his credits include Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II’s “Sweet Adeline”, Kern and Otto Harbach’s “The Cat and the Fiddle”, George S. Kaufman and Sir Arthur Sullivan’s “Hollywood Pinafore”, and Alan Jay Lerner and Andre Previn’s “Coco”.

A playwright, his plays, “Evil Little Thoughts”, “Backbone of America”, “The End of Civilization As We Know It” and others, have been produced in New York, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles and around the country.  For the Jerome Kern Centennial Festival at Carnegie Hall in New York City, Mark wrote a new book for Jerome Kern’s 1919 musical, “Zip! Goes A Million”.  He also served as director for that concert production.  Most recently, he co-wrote a new musical, “Painting The Clouds With Sunshine”, utilizing songs from movies of the 1930’s.  He also directed the award-winning San Francisco production.  His plays have been published in Dramatics magazine, and by Dramatic Publishing and Playscripts, Inc.

Mark also served as associate producer on a series of albums of rarely recorded theater and film music from the early part of the 20th century on the Shadowland lable. Titles include “Sing Before Breakfast”, and “Life’s A Funny Present.”

Mark has taught USC’s Summer Musical Theater program, AMDA Los Angeles, and has been mentor and director for the Harvard-Westlake school’s young Playwright’s Festival.  He teaches musical performance, directing, and acting at theater conferences around the country.  He has a BS in Speech/Theater from Northwestern University, studied at the Wharton school, studied dance with Fred Kelly (Gene’s brother), and acting with Stella Adler and the HB school in New York.