Kate Whoriskey


Kate Whoriskey is a freelance theatre director.

Personal life

Whoriskey grew up in Acton, Massachusetts. She majored in theater at New York University and in 1998 she completed a post-graduate program in directing from the American Repertory Theater's Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University. Whoriskey is married to actor Daniel Breaker who has played Donkey in Shrek the Musical on Broadway. Whoriskey and Breaker have a son, named Rory, born in 2008.

Professional career

After completing her graduate program at ART, she immediately worked on directing a play there, The Master Builder by Ibsen. She has been a visiting lecturer at Princeton University
and an associate artist at South Coast Repertory in Orange County, California. She was briefly associated with Intiman Theatre in Seattle, in 2010 to 2011, prior to its closure due to cash flow problems.

Directing credits

A partial list of Whoriskey's directing credits is in the table below.
Sources: Internet Off-Broadway Database Internet Broadway Database American Theatre Wing
PlayAuthorTheaterYear and Notes
RuinedLynn NottageGoodman Theatre and Manhattan Theatre Club2008
Fabulation, or the Re-Education of UndineLynn NottagePlaywrights Horizons2004
Intimate ApparelLynn NottageSouth Coast Repertory2003
The Piano TeacherJulia ChoVineyard Theatre2007
Last Tree in AntarcticaJulia ChoEnsemble Studio Theatre2007
MassacreJose Rivera LAByrinth Theater Company2005
The TempestWilliam ShakespeareShakespeare Theatre Company2005
VigilsNoah HaidleGoodman Theatre2006
The Rose TattooTennessee WilliamsGoodman Theatre2002
Heartbreak HouseGeorge Bernard ShawGoodman Theatre2004
The Master BuilderHenrik IbsenAmerican Repertory Theatre 1999
Blue/OrangeJoe PenhallIntiman Theatre2003
Lady from the SeaHenrik IbsenIntiman Theatre2001
MacbethWilliam ShakespeareCalifornia Shakespeare Theater2002
Inked BabyChristina AndersonPlaywrights Horizons2009
The ChairsEugène IonescoIntiman Theatre2000
Drowning CrowRegina TaylorGoodman Theatre2002
Life Is a DreamPedro Calderón de la BarcaSouth Coast Repertory2007
Caucasian Chalk CircleBertolt BrechtSouth Coast Repertory2005
AntigoneSophoclesSouth Coast Repertory2004
The Clean HouseSarah RuhlSouth Coast Repertory2005
The Miracle WorkerWilliam Gibson Circle in the Square Theatre2010 - Opening: Mar. 3.
RuinedLynn NottageIntiman Theatre2010
How I Learned to DrivePaula VogelSecond Stage Theatre2012
SweatLynn NottageOregon Shakespeare Festival2015 - World Premiere / 2016 - Public Theater / 2017 - Studio 54, Broadway
Tales From Red ViennaDavid GrimmManhattan Theatre Club2014
Good PeopleDavid Lindsay-AbaireHuntington Theatre Company2012

Other work

Other theatres where she has directed include:
In her career, she has also worked with writers Nilo Cruz, Michael Ondaatje, and Saïd Sayrafiezadeh.