Steve Kaplan

Steve Kaplan is a producer, director, comedy writer and teacher, actor, and co-founder in 1978 with Faith Caitlin and Mitch McGuire of the Manhattan Punch Line Theatre Company. Along with full length shows, MLP produced One Act Festivals and introduced to the theater world such playwrights as David Ives, Howard Korder, David Crane & Larry Coen, Jeffrey Hatcher, Tom Donaghy, Peter Tolan and Linda Wallem, Peter Mattaliano and Stephen Jankowski, John Willard, Lawrence Klavan, Donald Wollner, Paul Zaloom, Ron Carlson, MLP shows included: FLAGSHIP (1979), THE JACK THE RIPPER REVUE (1979), THE CAT AND THE CANARY (1979), THE DUEL (1979), ROOM SERVICE (1979), THE MAN WHO SHOT THE MAN WHO SHOT JESSE JAMES (1980), THE FRONT PAGE (1980), IT’S ONLY A PLAY (1982), THE BUTTER AND EGG MAN (1982), JUNE MOON (1983), LAUGHING STOCK (1983), KID PURPLE (1984), SURE THING(1984), RETURN OF THE CREATURE OF THE BLUE ZALOOM (1984), THE ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF ONE-ACT COMEDIES (1985-1992), EPIC PROPORTIONS (1986), FUN (1987), BIGFOOT STOLE MY WIFE (1987), TERRY BY TERRY (1987), EQUAL WRIGHTS (1988), and NEW VAUDEVILLE (1989). ALIENS IN AMERICA (1996) was directed by Kaplan and produced outside of his work done at MPL.

Steve Kaplan grew up in Queens, New York. He learned at an early age that humor would attract women and stave off bullies. In high school, he began to perform in shows and in college at Hofstra University became involved in the Spectrum Players, where he was elected to direct their annual show, the musical Fiorello. (Francis Ford Coppola had been the founder and original director of the Spectrum Players decade and a half earlier.) The show was a success and from that point on, there was no turning back. Kaplan made the study of comedy (what works, what doesn’t work, and how to fix it when it doesn’t work) a knowledge and talent for which is now hired both as a consultant and as a teacher. In 1978 he and Faith Caitlin and Mitch McGuire, at Curtains Up restaurant, decided to create a theater company. Kaplan insisted the company should do comedies because few at that time in New York and in the Off-Broadway circle particularly was taking them seriously. They got a rental space on 9^th Avenue and 41^st street, ‘a knife’s throw from Port Authority,’ or ‘Windows on the Winos.’ And thus Manhattan Punch Line Theatre was born. They produced new works by comic writers as well as revisiting classic comic writing from previous eras, such as Aristophanes, Sheridan, George S. Kaufman, while also drawing current established playwrights to them such as Romulus Linney, Horton Foote and Terrence McNally. Peter Riegert, Oliver Platt, and Mercedes Ruehl were just a few of the many acting talents discovered through the improve workshops and productions done at the Punchline. Kaplan has written two books: The Hidden Tools of Comedy and, The Comic Hero’s Journey.

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F. Murray Abraham, Chris Albrecht, Aristophanes, Doug Baldwin, Dave Barry, Michael Beckett, Brad Bellamy, Paul Benedict, Otis Bigelow, Allen Boretz, Bill Bozzone, Mark Brokaw, Jason McConnell Buzas, Faith Caitlin, Ron Carlson, Barry Cockburn, Christopher Caddington, Dana Coen, Larry Coen, David Crane, Laura Cunningham, Curt Dempster, Elizabeth Diggs, Richard Dresser, Mike Eisenberg, Gene Feist, Horton Foote, Paul Foster, David Fury, W.S. Gilbert, Clifford Goldsmith, Michael Green, Stephen Gregg, Trevor Griffiths, Jeffrey Hatcher, Jerry Heyman, Michiel Huisman, David Ives, Stephen Jankowski, Trish Johnson, Frank Kaplan, Anne Kaufman, George S. Kaufman, Floyd King, Patrick King, Lawrence Klavan, Allan Knee, Howard Korder, Steve Kronovet, Michael Eugene Labiche, Fiona Laird, Ring Lardner, Paul Lazarus, Mark Lieb, Romulus Linney, Philip Magdalany, Peter Mattaliano, Darren McGavin, Terrence McNally, Mitch McGuire, Monte Merrick, John Murray, Janet Neipris, Lynn Nottage, Mark O’Donnell, Nancy Opel, Rich Orloff, William Otterson, Oliver Platt, Peter Riegert, Brad Sanders, Don Scardino, Gil Schwartz, Richard Brimsley Sheridan, Robert Stanton, Ted Tally, Jack Tantleff, Peter Tolan, Terry Wagner, Linda Wallem, Leslie Weiner, John Williard, Donald Wollner, Paul Zaloom, Steve Zuckerman, The Comedy Corps, The Culture Project, Curtains Up, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Garrison (Philipstown) Depot Theatre, Long Island Stage, Meat and Potatoes Company, Roundabout Theatre Company, Spectrum Players, Studio Arena Theatre, 13th Street Theatre, The Thornbreak Theatre, THE ALCHEMIST, ALIENS IN AMERICA, ALMOST IN VEGAS, THE ART OF SELF-DEFENSE, BADGERS, BEST HALF FOOT FORWARD, BEYOND BELIEF, BIG FOOT STOLE MY WIFE, BIG LOVE, BOYS NEXT DOOR, THE BUTTER AND EGG MAN, THE CAT AND THE CANARY, CLOSE RELATIONS, CLOUDS, COMEDIANS, THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, THE COARSE ACTING SHOW, THE DUEL, ENGAGED, EPIC PROPORTIONS, EQUAL WRIGHTS, AN EVENING WITH WALLEM AND TOLAN, THE EXONERATED, FELLOW TRAVELERS, FEROCIOUS KISSES, THE FERTILIZATION OPERA, FLAGSHIP, THE FRONT PAGE, FUN, GETTYSBURG SOUND BITE, GOODBYE FREDDY, GORGO’S MOTHER, THE GREENHOUSE KEEPER DIED OVER THE WEEKEND, HACKERS, HARRISON BERGERON, THE HIT PARADE, AN ITALIAN STRAW HAT, IT’S ONLY A PLAY, THE JACK THE RIPPER REVUE, JUNE MOON, KID PURPLE, A KISS IS JUST A KISS, LAUGHING STOCK, LIFE ON EARTH, LIP SERVICE, LOVE AS WE KNOW IT, THE MENSCH, NEW VAUDEVILLE, NEWS FROM ST. PETERSBURG, A PAIR OF HEARTS, PHILIP GLASS BUYS A LOAF OF BREAD, THE PREVALENCE OF MRS. SEAL, PRIME TIME: A FESTIVAL OF COMICS AND CLOWNS, RETURN OF THE CREATURE OF THE BLUE ZALOOM, RICH GIRLS, THE RIVALS, THE ROADS TO HOME, ROOM SERVICE, SECOND AVENUE, SEVEN MENUS, SEX LIVES OF THE SUPER HEROES, SLEEPING BEAUTY, SLIDE, STAY CARL STAY, SURE THING, SYMPATHY, THE TABLECLOTH OF TURIN, TERRY BY TERRY, TOWARDS ZERO, WALKING HAPPY, WELCOME TO THE MONKEY HOUSE, WHAT A LIFE, WHERE SHE WENT, WHAT SHE DID, WITHOUT WILLIE, THE WORLD OF SHOLOM ALEICHEM, WORDS, WORDS, WORDS.

The primary Stages Off-Broadway Oral history Project

Mentioned in Interview