Mr. Brian Kaufman is in his fifth year at Langley High School and with Saxon Stage!  During his time in the Langley community, he has found the experience rewarding. Under his leadership, the theatre program has received multiple nominations in the Cappies circuit, the Brandon Victor Dixon Awards, and VHSL competitions, while taking home some hardware.

Mr. Kaufman received his BFA with a concentration in acting from Five Towns College in Long Island, NY. He then pursued a career in acting for the next six years and performed all over the country. Some of his favorite roles included: The Fox in Pinocchio, Barnette Lloyd in Crimes of the Heart, the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, and many more.

       During that time, he started his directing career, which began at Camp Billings. He would continue to direct musicals at Billings for eight summers. At the end of his tenure at Camp Billings, they dedicated an award named after him called The Brian Kaufman Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre. At the end of each musical, two students are presented with this award.

       Mr. Kaufman then became the theatre director at Ravenwood High School in Brentwood, TN. He would go on to build a program well-known across the state. During Mr. Kaufman’s time at Ravenwood, they would be selected to perform at the state thespian conference and go on to win many awards in the musical theatre category at the Spotlight Awards (Nashville Musical Theatre Awards), which included Best Show and Best Direction. Mr. Kaufman also had two students who were performers in the Jimmy Awards, and one of the students was a top-four finalist.

       Mr. Kaufman then made a pit stop at Pasadena Memorial High School in Houston, TX, where he was the Technical Theatre Director. Luckily, they were able to produce some productions that allowed minimal audiences. He was very proud of his tech students as they took on new responsibilities in set building, designing, stage lighting, programming, sound operation, and fly rail work.

  Mr. Kaufman has guided many students who have gone on to study theatre in college and begin their careers in the theatre industry. He is excited to begin his fifth year at Langley and with Saxon Stage, looking forward to the relationships, creative experiences, and new opportunities that lie ahead in the coming school year. His approach to teaching and directing always begins with the student, and he lives by the words of Charlie Chaplin: “A day without laughter is a day wasted.”