Yehuda Duenyas is a director, designer, producer, actor, and founding member of the Obie Award–winning collaborative the National Theater of the United States of America (NTUSA).
Yehuda likes to build theaters, venues and events. His spectacles re-situate the theatrical environment—turning audience into performance and back again—while blending the comedic the dramatic and the profound.
The New York Times called him “irresistible,” possessing a “visually arresting, absurd comedic style,” and called his company, the NTUSA, “one of the most exciting young theater companies in town.” TimeOut NY cited his work as the Top 10 of 2008, 2005, and 2002, and called the NTUSA “an underground theatrical coup, a triumph of style and stagecraft.” Yehuda was one of Paper magazine’s Beautiful People in 2007, and his work has been covered by New York magazine, TimeOut NY, the New York Times, Interview magazine, the Village Voice, Paper, NYPress, the Emergency Gazette, NPR, and many blogs and online publications. Yehuda has also been compared to the late Charles Ludlam.
His directing credits include the NTUSA’s Chautauqua! (Collapsable Hole, Williamsburg; Vanderbilt University, TN; the Walker Arts Center, MN; CUNY; PS 122, New York City; 2008/2009), One Million Forgotten Moments (a 9/11 memorial commissioned by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council; 2007), Thomas Bradshaw’s Purity (world premiere, PS 122; 2007), 00:07 Seconds (an ongoing work based on the best-selling book Blink by Malcolm Gladwell, 2006–2009), The Citizens Band (Hiro Ballroom, New York City; 2006), the NTUSA’s Abacus Black Strikes NOW! (Obie award for design, PS 122; 2006), George Saunders’s Pastoralia (TimeOut NY Top 10 of 2005, PS122).
He has adapted one short story and one novel for the stage—“Pastoralia” by George Saunders (published 2007 by Dramatics Inc.) and Molloy by Samuel Beckett. He is currently creating theatrical adaptations of Malcolm Gladwell’s best-selling book Blink, and George Saunders’s short story “Brad Carrigan, American.”
His collaborative projects with the NTUSA include Chautauqua! (National Tour: Collapsable Hole, Williamsburg; Vanderbilt University, TN; the Walker Arts Center, MN; CUNY; PS 122, New York City; 2008/2009) NTUSA’s Moliere’s Don Juan (The Chocolate Factory, 2008; chashama, 2006), Abacus Black Strikes NOW! The Rampant Justice of Abacus Black (Obie, PS 122; 2006), What’s That on My Head!?! (NEST/Two-Trees DUMBO; 2005), Jack Russell’s SUPERCONFIDENCE (Galapagos; 2004), Episode 17 of our Fathers Garvey and Superpant$! in Placebo Sunrise (chashama, 2002; ESB Dublin Fringe Festival, 2004), Garvey and Superpant$!: Episode 23 (chashama, 2001; ESB Dublin Fringe Festival, 2002).
His original works include X9601733 (HERE, 1998); The Disappearing Act (Ontological Hysteric, 1998), Brains (Walker Space, 1999), 7 Minutes in Heaven (Ontological Hysteric, 1999), 5 (SoHo Rep., 1999/2000), hors-là (chashama, 2000), Phase I–selling out to the bare walls (created with longtime collaborator Ryan Bronz; chashama, 2000).
Yehuda has performed and toured with Richard Foreman’s Obie Award–winning Pearls for Pigs (1997-1998), Richard Maxwell’s Obie Award–winning House (1998-2001), Phil Soltanoff/Maddog’s to whom it may concern (1997), and has performed in and designed at various venues and festivals around the world, including BITEF (Serbia), Festival d’Automne (Paris), Theatre der Welt (Berlin), Holland Festival (Amsterdam), ESB Dublin Fringe Festival, Wienner Festwochen (Vienna), Dans in Kortrijk (Belgium), Festival Theatre des Ameriques (Montreal), Teatro San Martin (Argentina), Teatro Valle (Rome), The Roxy Theater (Prague) and the Williamstown Theater Festival, among others.
His work has been supported by NYSCA, the Greenwall Foundation, chashama, the Durst Organization, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the 9/11 Fund, the Downtown Theater Alliance, the Jerome Foundation, Arts International, and private donors.
Yehuda is excited about his project TheaterTruck!, a new, mobile fly-house theater built into a 24-foot alternatively fueled truck.
He is the recipient of a HERE artist residency grant for 2008 and 2009, a MacDowell fellowship, 2007, a sponsorship from WaveArts, and has studied theater and clown with Philippe Gaulier and holds a BS in theater cum laude from Skidmore College.