“ We need stories of belonging that move us towards each other, not from each other; ways of being human that open up the possibilities of being alive together; ways of navigating our differences that deepen our curiosity, that deepen our friendship, that deepen our capacity to disagree, that deepen the argument of being alive. This is what we need. This is what will save us.
This is the work of peace. This is the work of imagination.”
Image description: A close up headshot of Kim Weild, a white cis-woman, with light brown, chin length straight hair that is slightly curled. She is wearing a tailored beige loden jacket with a mandarin collar embroidered with red flowers and green stems. She is slightly smiling and looking straight into the camera. She is outdoors with the background slightly blurred. Photo by Xanthe Elbrick
Kim Weild is a theatre/film/opera director, educator, and advocate based in New York on the traditional lands of the Munsee Lenape People, and Pittsburgh, traditional lands of the Shawandasee Tula and Osage People. She pays her respects to elders both past and present, as well as future generations.
An award winning director known for creating visually stunning, physically fluid, ensemble based plays and musicals - ranging from intimate chamber pieces to grand spectacle. Her work squarely places the human condition front and center and has been called "powerful”, “masterful", "wildly imaginative", "thought provoking", "entertaining", "beautiful" and "heartbreaking". The scope of her work has been compared to that of Ariane Mnouchkine’s as well as Baz Lurhman’s.
The recipient of a Drama Desk Award nomination for Unique Theatrical Experience (Fêtes de la Nuit), the NY Innovative Theatre Foundation’s award for Outstanding Performance Art Production (Soot and Spit) and eight additional NY Innovative Theatre Award nominations (winning three), most recently American Moor, helmed by Weild, has been recognized with multiple awards, including the Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Solo Performance, an AUDELCO award, two IRNE awards including Outstanding Visiting Production, and was the opening event at Shakespeare's Globe London, inaugural festival on Shakespeare and Race.
Image description: A close up headshot of Kim Weild, a white cis-woman, with brown, chin length straight hair. She is wearing an open collar, purple and white ikat print blouse, and small gold hoop earrings. She is slightly smiling and looking straight into the camera. Photo by Peter Konerko
Possessing an extensive knowledge of new play and musical development, her work has been seen at: Shakespeare’s Globe London, Lincoln Center Theater, Carnegie Hall, Teatro alla Scala, The New York Theater Workshop, Off Broadway’s Cherry Lane Theatre, Beckett Theater, Goodspeed Musicals, Pittsburgh City Theatre, Primary Stages, New York Live Arts, The Mark Taper Forum, Williamstown Theater Festival, City Theatre Company, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, The Beall Center for Art and Technology, The Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, The New Ohio Theater (NYC) and Wolf Trap Performing Arts Center. Her production of Uncle Vanya was an official selection at the Prague Quadrennial and in Greece she has directed The Bacchae as well as The Birds for OneYearLease Theater.
Kim and producing partner Jamie Forshaw
Image description: Kim Weild, a white cis-woman, with brown, chin length straight hair, is wearing a three-quarter sleeved black dress. She is broadly smiling as she holds the Drama Desk nomination certificate in her hands and looks directly into the camera. To her left stands Jamie Forshaw, a tall, white male with blue eyes and blond short hair. He is wearing a light blue blazer, white button down shirt and medium blue tie. He is broadly smiling and also holds a Drama Desk nomination certificate and is looking directly into the camera. They are standing in front of a backdrop that says 55th Drama Desk Awards that is surrounded by sponsor logos.
On Broadway, Kim worked as Associate Director to multiple TONY Award winning director Michael Blakemore on the world premiere of Deuce by Terrence McNally with Dame Angela Lansbury and Marian Seldes; the world premiere of Mark Twain and David Ives’ Is He Dead? starring Norbert Leo Butz and Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit with Dame Angela Lansbury, Rupert Everett, Jayne Atkinson and Christine Ebersole. She was Associate Director for the world premiere of Amazing Grace, the musical which played at Broadway's Nederlander Theater.
Working at Vassar College
Image description: Two women, stand close together speaking on a theater stage. The young woman on the left has brown hair pulled up into a bun. She is wearing a white rehearsal corset and skirt. She stands in profile, her right arm bent at the elbow with her hand open and gesticulating. She is speaking to the other woman who is older, facing forward, leaning slightly toward the young woman. She wears a long black sweater and black pants, eyeglasses are perched on the top of her head. Her left arm is bent with her hand perched on her lips, her eyes are cast slightly downward as she listens closely to the young woman speaking. Behind them are a variety of stage props and furniture.
Her numerous fellowships and residencies include: The Park Avenue Armory, The Kennedy Center, The Schubert Organization, Williamstown Theater Festival – Foeller Fellowship, Luna Stage, The Archive Residency - New Ohio Theatre, Annandale Center for Writing, IRT and the Obie-winning New Georges. She is the recipient of two commissions from NYC’s High Line and the first recipient of SDC Foundation’s Guest Artist Initiative. A proud Women's Project Theater Lab alumna, an affiliated artist with the OBIE Award winning New Georges and an Associate Artist with The Adaptations Project.
Weild and Mee "After Grant Wood"
Image description: Kim Weild, a woman with shoulder length hair, sits in an audience seat with arms crossed in her lap. She is wearing a black dress with metal design elements embellishing the shoulders and sleeves. On the right in a wheelchair scooter, sits the a male, the playwright Charles Mee. He is wearing a blue v-neck pullover sweater over a white t-shirt and black rimmed glasses. His left leg is openly crossed over his right leg.
A longtime collaborator of acclaimed playwright Charles L. Mee to date she has directed five of his plays; Soot and Spit (World Premiere), Fêtes de la Nuit (NY Premiere), First Love (First NY Revival), Summertime and Big Love.
In 2019 Weild was named the head of directing for the John Wells Directing Program at Carnegie Mellon University where she supervises and guides the training of MFA and BFA directing candidates.
With over twenty-five years of teaching experience, she has taught at leading undergraduate and conservatory programs across the country as well as training leading theater ensembles.
Proud Member of SDC
She received her MFA from Columbia University School of the Arts and her BFA with Honors from New York University Tisch School of the Arts.
Weild is the Founding Artistic Director of Our Voices Theater a company dedicated to diversity, inclusion and innovation. Most recently their world premiere of Mee's Soot and Spit was hailed by the NY Times as, a “beautifully designed, dreamily evocative production." and was chosen as a NY Times Critic’s Pick. As a leading advocate for diversity and inclusion in the arts, she has been sought out by major arts organizations, including the NEA, to speak on panels, participate in roundtables and lead workshops in collaboration with Deaf/deaf and disabled artists.
Working with students at PS 347 The ASL and English Lower School
Image Description: A woman sits at a low round table smiling at a first grade student who is speaking. To her left and right are two other students.
Directing on NYC's High Line
Image Description: Three people are sitting looking at a woman who is pointing diagonally to her left with her left hand and her right hand is closed in a fist and bent at the elbow. Her eyes are lifter to wear she is pointing. She is wearing a long black sweater over a black dress which is cinched at the waist with a large silver belt buckle.
Working with actor Taylor Ray on Charles Mee’s Soot and Spit
Image Description: A young man in a white t-shirt and jeans, wearing glasses, stands with his arms outstretched from his body taking in a direction, while a woman dressed in black, hunches over and in towards the young man, helping to guide him, She is wearing glasses, has her left hand gently on his back and her right arm and hand are extended out in front of her as she gives him direction.