Faculty member, University of Indiana, Bloomington
MFA, playwriting, University of California, San Diego
BA, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, self-designed major in American Cultures and Theatre
Ken Weitzman’s most recent play, The As If Body Loop, was produced as part of the 2007 Humana Festival of New American Plays at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, and was directed by Alliance Artistic Director Susan Booth.. Weitzman returned to Humana in 2008, commissioned to write several short plays for the Humana Anthology Project. His plays include The As if Body Loop, Girl in the Garden,Smooth, Nude in Front of the Garden, Lee Fields, and Spin Moves (presented at the Humana Festival).
Earlier works by Weitzman were presented and developed at Atlantic Theater Company, New York Stage and Film, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Playwrights Horizons, Arena Stage, Alliance Theatre, the Mark Taper Forum, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Dad’s Garage Comedy Theater, Atlanta, Florida Stage, The Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Black Dahlia Theatre, Page 73 Productions, The Summer Play Festival, Cherry Lane Alternative, Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, Directors/Playwrights Lab, Arielle Tepper’s Summer Play Festival, UCSD Baldwin New Play Festival, and Trueblood Theatre Company.
He has received commissions from Arena Stage, South Coast Repertory, the Alliance Theatre, and most recently from the Actors Theatre of Louisville for the 2008 Humana Festival.
Ken has taught playwriting at Emory University, UCSD, the Alliance Theatre, The Old Globe Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Actors Express Theatre, Horizon Theatre, the Alliance Theatre, and the Playwrights Project and Young Playwrights Inc. where he was Education and Literary Director.
He has been awarded the 2003 L. Arnold Weissberger award (selected by Williamstown Theatre Festival) for Arrangements (later produced in Atlantic Theater Company’s inaugural second stage season); the McDonald Playwriting Award for The As If Body Loop (best new play in San Diego, selected by KPBS); and the Elizabeth George Commission for an Outstanding Emerging Playwright (selected by South Coast Repertory Theatre), and was a Princess Grace Award finalist. He received University of California Faculty Fellowships from 2003-2005. His recent residencies include the 2007 Page 73 Productions Summer Residency at Yale University, and the inaugural Atlanta Playwrights Lab at the Alliance Theatre.
His acting background includes training at the University of Michigan and in New York at the Atlantic Theatre Company. His voice work includes several books on tape, including Casino (Simon and Schuster) by Nick Pileggi, with Ron Leibman and Joe Grifasi.
Previously, Weitzman wrote and produced sports documentaries and narratives, for television and new media, for the National Basketball Association Entertainment, Speedvision, Emerald City, and CybrCard. He co-wrote “Swappin’ Paint,” a nationally syndicated, one-hour special on the history of NASCAR. He assisted in writing “Totally Kids Sports,” an Ace Award-winning half-hour show aired on Nickelodeon.