Kris Kukul Part 1 ”Less Is More”

Kris Kukul (kriskukul.com)(IG:@kriskukul) is a New York City Based Orchestrator, Arranger, Music Director and Composer. 

Currently he is Music Supervisor, Orchestrator, co-arranger and Conductor for Broadway’s Tony nominated Beetlejuice The Musical! Other recent projects include, The Liz Swados Project for Ghostlight Records, In The Green at Lincoln Center Theatre, David Byrne’s Joan of Arc the Public Theatre, Songbird by Michael Kimmel and Lauren Pritchard, a remounting of Elizabeth Swados' Runaways at New York’s City Center, The Last Goodbye, an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet featuring the music of Jeff Buckley, and The Heart of Robin Hood, music by Parsonsfield.

He has also arranged, orchestrated and conducted solo concerts for Broadway powerhouses Kate Baldwin (Extraordinary Machine), and Amy Spanger (The Music Be the Place) and the Lincoln Center American Songbook concert celebrating the music of Elizabeth Swados.

For 10 seasons, he served as the resident music director for the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Productions included June Moon, The Last Goodbye, Animal Crackers and others. There he also directed the legendary Late-Night Cabarets, featuring iconic performers including Renee Fleming, Lewis Black, Kathleen Turner, Allison Janey, Tyne Daly, David Hyde Pierce, Judy Kuhn, Lena Hall, Judy Gold, Steven Pasquale, Kelli O’Hara, Phillipa Sou, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Debra Monk, Michael McKean, Harriet Harris and many others. 

Kris began his career working for musical theatre icon Elizabeth Swados. Together, they created Jabu, Kaspar Hauser, The Nomad, The LaMama Cantata and numerous concerts and recordings. He and Director/Choreographer Sam Pinkleton are committed to keeping her legacy alive.  

He music directed the film scores for Of Many, a documentary produced by Chelsea Clinton, and My Depression, an HBO animated film featuring the voices of Sigourney Weaver, Steve Buscemi and Fred Armisten.

As Composer, Kris has written the music for the musicals Beauty Queen and Dash Dexter and the family friendly musicals Camp Monster and Wing It!, both produced by the Williamstown Theatre Festival. He also wrote the music for Oliver Twist at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey and A Midsummer Night’s Dream for The Greek National Theatre. 

Internationally, he spent 3 seasons with The National Theatre of Greece, conducting and arranging music for tours of classical plays in ancient amphitheaters, including the festival of Epidaurus. He performed at the Edinburgh Fringe with the musical From the Fire. With The LaMama Cantata, he performed in Tokyo, Spoleto, Istanbul, Zagreb, Skopje and Belgrade.

In New York City, Kris has worked at Playwrights Horizons, The Vineyard, New York Theatre Workshop, The Atlantic, The Flea, LaMama, Joe’s Pub, 54 Below, Birdland, the Cherry Lane and the Lucille Lortel. He has worked regionally at San Diego’s Old Globe, Arena Stage, Hartford Stage, A.R.T., Emerson Arts, Two River, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Williamstown, The Village Theatre and Royal Manitoba Theatre Center.

Kris is a Graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts. He is adjunct faculty at Tisch/Playwrights Horizons Theatre School, and has taught at The New School, Duke University, Columbia University, Belmont University, and Queens College.