Samantha Kaufman
Intimacy Director | Fight Director | Teacher | Actor
Samantha Kaufman (she/her/hers) is an actor and movement director, specializing in fight direction, intimacy direction, and circus theatre. She is based in Chicago and travels to perform in and fight/intimacy/movement direct productions across the United States and internationally. She is fiercely passionate about advocacy for artists and spreading consent practices through theatre and circus communities. She couldn’t be prouder of the opportunities to empower artists with this work.
A Jeff Award Nominated Fight Choreographer. Samantha is a certified Intimacy Director and teaching artist with Intimacy Directors and Coordinators. Her original Intimacy Director certification was with Intimacy Director’s International. Samantha is a certified teacher with the Society of American Fight Directors and an Intermediate Actor Combatant with Fight Directors Canada. She has also trained and taught with Deutschland Stage Combat. Samantha is a certified teacher of the Michael Chekhov Technique with the Great Lakes Michael Chekhov Consortium.
Samantha has taught Intimacy across the nation at schools such as Florida Atlantic University, Ohio Northern University, Jacksonville University, Indiana University, University of Indianapolis, University of Findlay, Ball State University, and Eastfield College. And at organizations such as Prague Shakespeare Company in Prague (Czech Republic), Neutral Chaos in NYC, Riot Act Inc in Wyoming, Bloomington Academy of Film and Theatre, Ohio Shakespeare Festival, Cleveland Play House, Texas Intensive Stage Combat Workshop, and the Flying V Theatre Company in DC.
Regionally Samantha has worked with theatres such as Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Prague Shakespeare Company, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, and Cleveland Play House, among others. In Chicago, she has worked with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Lookingglass Theatre, First Folio Theatre, First Floor Theater, Metropolis Theater, Steep Theatre, Babes with Blades Theatre Company, and Idle Muse.
She has been a resident artist at Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Prague Shakespeare Company.
Samantha won a Regional Broadway award for Best Actress in a Play for her work as Mercutio in "Romeo and Juliet" with Florida Shakespeare Theatre. She was also nominated for a Jeff Award for Fight Direction in 2019 for the Babes With Blades Theatre Company's production of "The Lady Demands Satisfaction."
Samantha has an MFA from Florida Atlantic University and a BFA from University of Wyoming. She attended the Actors Gymnasium’s 9-month Professional Circus Training Program, trained with Movement Theatre Studio in NYC, and is has completed all modules of Great Lakes Michael Chekhov Consortium’s training.
Read more about Samantha in this Bold Journey article.
Read more about Samantha in this Canvas Rebel article.
A Jeff Award Nominated Fight Choreographer. Samantha is a certified Intimacy Director and teaching artist with Intimacy Directors and Coordinators. Her original Intimacy Director certification was with Intimacy Director’s International. Samantha is a certified teacher with the Society of American Fight Directors and an Intermediate Actor Combatant with Fight Directors Canada. She has also trained and taught with Deutschland Stage Combat. Samantha is a certified teacher of the Michael Chekhov Technique with the Great Lakes Michael Chekhov Consortium.
Samantha has taught Intimacy across the nation at schools such as Florida Atlantic University, Ohio Northern University, Jacksonville University, Indiana University, University of Indianapolis, University of Findlay, Ball State University, and Eastfield College. And at organizations such as Prague Shakespeare Company in Prague (Czech Republic), Neutral Chaos in NYC, Riot Act Inc in Wyoming, Bloomington Academy of Film and Theatre, Ohio Shakespeare Festival, Cleveland Play House, Texas Intensive Stage Combat Workshop, and the Flying V Theatre Company in DC.
Regionally Samantha has worked with theatres such as Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Prague Shakespeare Company, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, and Cleveland Play House, among others. In Chicago, she has worked with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Lookingglass Theatre, First Folio Theatre, First Floor Theater, Metropolis Theater, Steep Theatre, Babes with Blades Theatre Company, and Idle Muse.
She has been a resident artist at Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Prague Shakespeare Company.
Samantha won a Regional Broadway award for Best Actress in a Play for her work as Mercutio in "Romeo and Juliet" with Florida Shakespeare Theatre. She was also nominated for a Jeff Award for Fight Direction in 2019 for the Babes With Blades Theatre Company's production of "The Lady Demands Satisfaction."
Samantha has an MFA from Florida Atlantic University and a BFA from University of Wyoming. She attended the Actors Gymnasium’s 9-month Professional Circus Training Program, trained with Movement Theatre Studio in NYC, and is has completed all modules of Great Lakes Michael Chekhov Consortium’s training.
Read more about Samantha in this Bold Journey article.
Read more about Samantha in this Canvas Rebel article.
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"Sam is a joy to be around and always has a crucial insight or perspective that can turn the world on its head. She is unassumingly wise, sassy, clever, open, compassionate, and knowledgeable. Her organization and leadership skills are impeccable. I will be taking any opportunity I can to work with her again, be it in the classroom or the rehearsal space."
- Firen Williams
"Sam is a joy to be around and always has a crucial insight or perspective that can turn the world on its head. She is unassumingly wise, sassy, clever, open, compassionate, and knowledgeable. Her organization and leadership skills are impeccable. I will be taking any opportunity I can to work with her again, be it in the classroom or the rehearsal space."
- Firen Williams
