David Auburn (born 30 November 1969) is an American playwright, screenwriter and theatre director. He is best known for his 2000 play '' Proof'', which won the 2001

Tony Award for Best Play The Tony Award for Best Play (formally, the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre) is an annual award given to the best new (non- musical) play on Broadway, as determined by Tony Award voters. There was no award in the Tonys' first year ...

and

Pulitzer Prize for Drama The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It is one of the original Pulitzers, for the program was inaugurated in 1917 with seven prizes, four of which were a ...

. He also wrote the screenplays for the 2005 film version of ''Proof'', '' The Lake House'' (2006), ''

The Girl in the Park ''The Girl in the Park'' is a 2007 drama film, the first directed by David Auburn, screenwriter of '' Proof'' (2005) and '' The Lake House'' (2006). It stars Sigourney Weaver, Kate Bosworth and Keri Russell. Plot Since the disappearance of her ...

'' (2007), and '' Georgetown'' (2019).

Early life

Auburn was born in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, to parents Mark and Sandy Auburn. He was raised in

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

until 1982 when his family moved to

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

. After graduating from high school in 1987, he attended the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

, where he was a member of

Off-Off Campus Off-Off Campus is an improvisational and sketch comedy group at the University of Chicago. It was founded in 1986 by The Second City co-founder Bernie Sahlins, who is also an alumnus of the University of Chicago. Off-Off Campus stems from a tradi ...

, and received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in English literature in 1991. Following a one-year fellowship with

Amblin Entertainment Amblin Entertainment, Inc., formerly named Amblin Productions and Steven Spielberg Productions, is an American film production company founded by director and producer Steven Spielberg, and film producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshal ...

, he moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1992. Auburn spent two years in the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

's playwriting program, studying under the noted dramatists

Marsha Norman Marsha Norman (born September 21, 1947) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. She received the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play '' 'night, Mother''. She wrote the book and lyrics for such Broadway musicals as ''The Se ...

and

Christopher Durang Christopher Ferdinand Durang (born January 2, 1949) is an American playwright known for works of outrageous and often absurd comedy. His work was especially popular in the 1980s, though his career seemed to get a second wind in the late 1990s. ...

Career

Auburn wrote several short plays, collectively grouped as ''Fifth Planet and Other Plays''. The plays, called "cockeyed and engaging little one-act comedies", were presented at Beowulf Alley Theatre Company, Tucson, Arizona, in January and February 2008.Reel, James
"Confronted With Issues"
''Tucson Weekly'', January 24, 2008 The plays are: ''Fifth Planet'', ''Miss You'', ''Are You Ready'', ''Damage Control'', ''Three Monologues'', ''What Do You Believe About The Future?'' and ''We Had A Very Good Time''. ''Fifth Planet'' is a two-person play with 44 short scenes. ''Miss You'' is a "telephone play about love and unfaithfulness" with a two-person cast, with each actor playing 2 roles, named "man" and "woman". ''We Had A Very Good Time'' follows a married couple at the end of a vacation in an unnamed foreign country. ''Damage Control'' concerns a political consultant preparing his political boss for a speech about a scandal the politician is involved in. '' What Do You Believe About The Future?'' appeared in ''

Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. (''Scientific American'' is older, b ...

'' and has since been adapted for the screen. Auburn's first full-length play, ''

Skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...

'', ran

Off Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

in September – October 1997. It concerns a group attempting to save a historic skyscraper from being demolished. Auburn is best known for his 2000 play '' Proof'', which won the 2001

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

for Best Play, as well as the 2001

. He adapted it into a

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

, which was released in 2005. His play ''

The Columnist ''The Columnist'' is a play by American playwright David Auburn. It opened on Broadway's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, under the direction of Daniel J. Sullivan. The play opened on April 25, 2012 and closed July 8, 2012 with John Lithgow starring ...

'' had its world premiere in a production by the

Manhattan Theatre Club Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) is a theatre company located in New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has gr ...

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, running from April 3, 2012 through June 3, 2012 and starring

John Lithgow John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. Lithgow studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his work on the stage and screen. He has been the recipient of numerous ...

with

Boyd Gaines Boyd Payne Gaines (born May 11, 1953) is an American actor. During his career, he has won four Tony Awards and three Drama Desk Awards. Gaines is best known for playing Mark Royer on '' One Day at a Time'' (1981-1984). Early life and education H ...

Margaret Colin Margaret Colin (born May 26, 1958) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Margo Hughes on ''As the World Turns'' and as Eleanor Waldorf-Rose on ''Gossip Girl''. Early life Margaret Colin was born in Brooklyn, New York City, and w ...

, Stephen Kunken, Marc Bonan,

Grace Gummer Grace Jane Gummer (born May 9, 1986) is an American actress. She received a Theatre World Award for her Broadway debut in the 2011 revival of '' Arcadia''. Her television work includes recurring roles in '' The Newsroom'' and '' American Horror ...

and

Brian J. Smith Brian Jacob Smith (born October 12, 1981) is an American actor, known for his role as Will Gorski in the Netflix-produced series ''Sense8,'' Lieutenant Matthew Scott in the military science fiction television series ''Stargate Universe'', and h ...

, with direction by Daniel Sullivan. ''Lost Lake'' premiered Off-Broadway in a Manhattan Theatre Club production at New York City Center—Stage 1, running from November 11 to December 21, 2014. Directed by Daniel Sullivan, the two-person cast starred John Hawkes and

Tracie Thoms Tracie Nicole Thoms is an Emmy-nominated American television, film, and stage actress and singer. She is known for her roles in ''Rent'', ''Cold Case'', '' The Devil Wears Prada'', ''Death Proof'', and the short-lived Fox television series ''Wo ...

. The play was developed at the Eugene O’Neill Playwrights Conference and presented at the Sullivan Project at the University of Illinois in February 2014. The first reading of ''Lost Lake'' was done at the O'Neill Center Rose Theater Barn July 26–27, 2013, directed by Wendy C. Goldberg and starring Frank Wood and Elsa Davis. Auburn has been awarded the Helen Merrill Playwriting Award and a

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...

. He received the Kesselring Prize in 2000 for ''Proof''; the prize is given to a playwright who shows the most promise and comes with a $10,000 monetary award.Ehren, Christine
"Proof's David Auburn Wins Kesselring Prize"
Playbill, October 11, 2000 Following ''Proof'', he wrote the screenplay for the movie '' The Lake House'', released by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

in 2006. In 2007, he made his film directorial debut with ''

'', for which he also wrote the screenplay. He has also directed stage works. He directed the play ''Sick'' by Zayd Dohrn at the

Berkshire Theatre Festival The Berkshire Theatre Festival is one of the oldest professional performing arts venues in the Berkshires, celebrating its 80th anniversary season in 2008. History The main building of the Berkshire Theatre Festival was originally the Stockbridge ...

from August 18 to September 6, 2009. He directed ''Anna Christie'' by

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of realism, earlier ...

at the Berkshire Theatre Festival in July 2013. He directed the play ''Side Effects'' by

Michael Weller Michael Weller (born September 26, 1942) is a Brooklyn-based playwright and screen writer. His plays include '' Moonchildren'', ''Loose Ends'', ''Spoils of War'' and ''Fifty Words''. His screenplays include ''Ragtime'', for which he was nomina ...

in June and July 2011 at the Off-Broadway MCC Theater.

Personal life

Auburn currently resides in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. He has a wife and two daughters.

Plays

* ''Are You Ready?'' – Westbank Theatre, New York City, January 29, 2001 * ''Damage Control'' * ''Fifth Planet'' – New York Stage and Film Festival, Poughkeepsie, New York, July 17, 1995Auburn, David. ''Fifth Planet and Other Plays'', Dramatists Play Service Inc, 2002, , pp. 8, 42, 68 * ''Miss You'' – HBO Comedy Arts Festival, Aspen, Colorado, January 5, 1997 * ''Three Monologues'' * ''We Had A Very Good Time'' * '' What Do You Believe About The Future?'' (1996) * ''

'' (1997) * '' Proof'' (2000) * '' tick, tick...BOOM!'' (Script consultant) * ''

'' (2012) * ''Lost Lake'' (2014)

Screenplays

* '' Proof'' (2005) * '' The Lake House'' (2006) * ''

'' (2007) (also director) * '' Georgetown'' (2019) * ''

Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by Aa ...

'' (2019) (story only)

References

External links

* * *
Osserman Interviews David Auburn, author of Proof

Inside the Playwright's Studio: Charles Newell & David Auburn
{{DEFAULTSORT:Auburn, David 1969 births Living people 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American male dramatists and playwrights Juilliard School alumni Pulitzer Prize for Drama winners University of Chicago alumni 20th-century American male writers People from Jonesboro, Arkansas Writers from Arkansas