Kent Gash

Kent Gash is the founding director of NYU Tisch School of the Arts Department of Drama's New Studio on Broadway, where he has directed The Wild Party (Wolfe/LaChiusa), The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Nine, Sweeney Todd, Will Power's The Seven, Assassins, The Who's Tommy, American Clock, and other works.

With Broadway veteran Walter Marks, Gash is also co-author and director of the new musical, Langston in Harlem, whose off-off Broadway production won four 2010 Audelco Awards including Best Musical. New York productions include Broke-ology at the Julliard School, the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway premiere of Miss Ever's Boys for the Melting Pot Theatre Co., the world premiere musical Call the Children Home for Primary Stages, the York Theatre concert presentation of Duke Ellington’s Beggar's Holiday and the Off-Broadway revival of Samm-Art William’s Home.

Gash has directed multiple readings for the Emerging Writers series at the Public Theatre, including the hip-hop/spoken word-verse drama Sound is Vibration and The Ball Player. Gash was represented regionally by The Comedy of Errors, set in the Harlem Renaissance playing at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Gash directed Choir Boy for Studio Theatre D.C. and Marin Theatre Company and the world premiere production of The C.A. Lyons Project at the Alliance Theatre.

Gash is the former Associate Artistic Director of the Alliance Theatre at the Woodruff, recipient of the 2007 Tony Award for excellence in the American Regional Theatre. There he directed and choreographed Quiara Hudes’ 26 MILES (World Premiere), August Wilson’s RADIO GOLF, Duke Ellington’s SOPHISTICATED LADIES,  (Winner of the Suzi Bass Award for Best Choreography) SLEUTH, ELLIOT, A SOLDIER’S FUGUE, JELLY’S LAST JAM (Winner of seven Suzi Bass Awards for Best Musical, Director and Choreography) TICK, TICK… BOOM, FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE, (also for Theatre Virginia and Alabama Shakespeare Festival) Suzan Lori-Park’s TOPDOG/UNDERDOG (co-production with Trinity Repertory Co. and New Rep., winner of the Boston Theatre Critics Circle Elliot Norton Award-Best Director, 2004-05) August Wilson’s KING HEDLEY II, SHAKESPEARE’S R&J, PACIFIC OVERTURES (co-production with Cincinnati Playhouse and North Shore Music Theatre, Winner of the Atlanta Journal Constitution citation for Best Show of the Year, The Elliot Norton Award for Best Musical of 2003 and nine Independent Reviewers of New England Awards including Best Musical and Best Director of a Musical) and the country’s first all African American production of GOD OF CARNAGE, starring Jasmine Guy.   Other productions in Atlanta include Actors Express World Premiere production of LOVE JERRY, SOME MEN and a multi-cultural STEEL MAGNOLIAS for Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Co.  Recent regional Productions include August Wilson’s SEVEN GUITARS for Marin Theatre Company (Winner of four Bay Area Critics Association Awards), the Cleveland Playhouse production of MAHALIA, CROWNS, GEE’S BEND and PURE CONFIDENCE for the Denver Center Theatre Company, THE BROTHERS SIZE for the McCarter Theater IN-Festival, WIG OUT at Sundance Theatre Institute, Adapting and Directing the Intiman Theatre’s acclaimed World Premiere production of Richard Wright’s NATIVE SON and AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ for Arizona Theatre Co., Cleveland Playhouse, San Jose Rep, Trinity Rep., Hartford Stage Co., North Shore Music Theatre and Maltz-Jupiter Theatre.  For Shakespeare Santa Cruz Mr. Gash has directed PRIVATE LIVES and CORIOLANUS. 

As the Associate Artistic Director of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival (1999-2001), Mr. Gash directed and choreographed Carlyle Brown’s THE NEGRO OF PETER THE GREAT (Southern Writer’s Project -World Premiere), GUYS AND DOLLS, GODSPELL, BEEHIVE, Regina Taylor’s A NIGHT IN TUNISIA (SWP-World Premiere), TROILUS AND CRESSIDA, TWELFTH NIGHT and FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE, and the Geffen Playhouse and Kennedy Center productions of HARRIET’S RETURN starring Debbie Allen.

In his twenty year career as an actor, Mr. Gash appearances include Jacob in the National tour of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, a National tour of AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ Off Broadway at the New York Shakespeare Festival, Public Theatre in HENRY IV PARTS I and II as Sir Walter Blount, and in JONIN’ and in the Classic Stage Co production of Len Jenkins CANDIDE.  As a company member at American Conservatory Theatre Mr. Gash won the Clair Luce Award for his performances as Willie in MISS EVER’S BOYS and Gustave in DINNER AT EIGHT and as a company member at Alabama Shakespeare Festival Mr. Gash appeared as Feste in TWELFTH NIGHT, Bill Walker in MAJOR BARBARA, Acaste in Neil Bartlett’s THE MISANTHROPE, Willie in MISS EVER’S BOYS, The Bloody Captain in MACBETH and in MEASURE FOR MEASURE.  Mr. Gash’s film and television performances include WORKING GIRL, WALL STREET, MY NEW GUN, RYAN’S HOPE and MISTER ROGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD (!)

Mr. Gash is a member of the Board of directors of National Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts, a former Board member of National Alliance for Musical Theatre and has served on panels for National Endowment for the Arts, Theatre Communications Group, the Princess Grace Foundation and is a member of the Tony Award Nominating Committee.   Mr. Gash has taught Master Classes in Acting, Shakespeare, Moliere and Musical Theatre Performance for the National Theatre of Scotland, University of California at Los Angeles, American Conservatory Theatre, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Spelman College, Morehouse College and Carnegie-Mellon University. 

Mr. Gash is a graduate of the Carnegie-Mellon University School of Drama with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting and the University of California at Los Angeles’ School of Theatre, Film and Television with a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Directing for the Theatre and Television.