Kathleen Coombs is a playwright, director, composer, and performer. She is currently the Resident Director of “Drunk Shakespeare” in Chicago, where she curates drunken debauchery. While working toward her MFA in playwriting at UCLA, Kathleen co-wrote “8, The Play” with Dustin Lance Black. Joe Mantello directed the star-studded Broadway and LA premieres of “8,” which has been seen in hundreds of cities nationwide. 

Kathleen is currently writing the book and co-writing lyrics for “Life Sentence” with composer Patrick Burns. Other written works include her original musical, “Sat Nam” (LA Workshop), “The Great Buford Fire Funnel” (Francis Ford Coppola Festival), “click” (LATC Playwrights Festival), and “Cuore Mio – My Heart” (DC Source Festival). 

Previous commissions: “Sakura” (Pocketwatch Studios), “Beauty and Bea” (Girl Tales podcast), and an environmentalist take on “Snow White” for Orphan Girl Childrens Theatre. 

Kathleen believes in the power of representation. Her work explores equality, justice, memory, and identity.

Kathleen Coombs is a playwright, director, composer, and performer. She is currently the Resident Director of “Drunk Shakespeare” in Chicago, where she curates drunken debauchery. While working toward her MFA in playwriting at UCLA, Kathleen co-wrote “8, The Play” with Dustin Lance Black. Joe Mantello directed the star-studded Broadway and LA premieres of “8,” which has been seen in hundreds of cities nationwide. 

Kathleen is currently writing the book and co-writing lyrics for “Life Sentence” with composer Patrick Burns. Other written works include her original musical, “Sat Nam” (LA Workshop), “The Great Buford Fire Funnel” (Francis Ford Coppola Festival), “click” (LATC Playwrights Festival), and “Cuore Mio – My Heart” (DC Source Festival). 

Previous commissions: “Sakura” (Pocketwatch Studios), “Beauty and Bea” (Girl Tales podcast), and an environmentalist take on “Snow White” for Orphan Girl Childrens Theatre. 

Kathleen believes in the power of representation. Her work explores equality, justice, memory, and identity.

“Kathleen Coombs is an exceptional dramaturg and coach. Kate has an extensive knowledge of musical theater and is studied and practiced in play structure and character development. She is skilled in identifying, and teaching me how to identify, the elements of my script that are working and those that need further clarification or consideration. When presenting feedback, Kate poses questions from the point of view of the characters that allow me as a writer to find solutions that are true to the characters and to my own voice.

Further, Kate is kind, personable and professional, and always intuitive and thoughtful. She is a friend and a voice I can trust. I can’t recommend Kate enough.” – Sarah Luery, Writer/Lyricist of “Monotony, the Musical”