CREATIVE
Playwright · Screenwriter · Author · Performer
From international bestselling books to globally produced plays and an award-winning screenplay, Karen creates bold, visionary works that illuminate and inspire.
Her work often combines art and advocacy, raising awareness and sparking conversation around issues that truly matter.
PLAYWRIGHT
An award-winning playwright, Karen has written plays that have been produced worldwide—in NYC, Los Angeles, Naples, Sydney and Tokyo. Her diverse portfolio includes:
Solo Play: Do This (Tony-award winner producer, Tony-nominated director, Tony-nominated actress-opened to rave reviews and a sold-out run at Gulfshore Playhouse in Naples-currently optioned for a Broadway run and film adaptation)
Award-Winning Plays: The Pigeon (Winner, Solo New Works Series; Staged reading at Los Angeles Women’s Theater Festival; Top awards and production at Short + Sweet Sydney Theatre Festival in Australia), Do This (Semi-finalist Eugene O’Neill National Playwright Conference), The Kiss (Winner-Decameron Project Hollywood’s Play Festival-produced in Los Angeles and Tokyo)
Performance Art: Body & Soul (Gene Frankel Theatre, NYC), Who’s They (Knitting Factory, NYC)
Short Plays: The Devil Is In The Eggs, Artichoke, This is Not a Pony Party, Heart of Stoned (staged readings in Spring Forward Festival at The Barrow Group, NYC), Now You See Me (staged reading at Rattlestick Theater, NYC)
Recent Works: SO. MUCH. LOVE. (Top honors at Screencraft Stageplay Writing Competition) and Six Short Plays About Love (staged reading at The Barrow Group NYC—in consideration for a podcast and TV series)
SCREENWRITER
Karen’s screenplay Artichoke, based on her stage play and inspired by her father’s journey through Alzheimer’s, won Best Script at the World Film Festival in Cannes, the Berlin International Screenwriting Festival, Hollywood Just4Shorts and New York Independent Cinema Awards. Artichoke won top honors from Paris International Short Festival, Arthouse Festival of Beverly Hills, Hollywood International Golden Age Festival, NY Metropolitan Screenwriting Competition, Los Angeles Screenwriting Competition, Montreal Women Film Festival, New York International Women Festival, Rome International Short Festival, Amsterdam Movie Festival, LA Independent Women Film Awards, London International Film Makers Festival and London Global Film Awards.
AUTHOR
Karen is the author of the international bestselling book, The Autism Sourcebook: Everything You Need to Know About Diagnosis, Treatment, Coping and Healing--From a Mother Whose Child Recovered (HarperCollins). An Emmy award winning Nightline segment profiled their son’s journey through autism. Karen is also the author of the parody Fifty Two Shades Of Blue-ish (Orange Press) and is a contributing writer for Huffington Post, Thrive Global and Today.com. Her book tours have taken her across the U.S. and Canada all the way to Singapore.
In the News…
Emmy-award winning Nightline segment
“Every parent with a child with autism should read this book...”
Marianne E. Felice, M.D., physician-in-chief, UMASS Memorial Children’s Medical Center.
“A witty, fabulous parody”
Amazon review
DIRECTOR + PRODUCER + PERFORMER
A former professional dancer, Karen founded a dance company as an undergraduate at Brown University that toured underserved school districts. She has performed as an actor and dancer in NYC at Performance Space New York, Knitting Factory, People’s Improv Theater, and Kimmel Center for University Life. In addition to teaching dance classes at studios in NYC, Karen has choreographed and taught dance to young adults with special needs. With a background in directing and producing corporate training and branding videos, Karen served as director and producer for her multi-media performance piece Body & Soul. In addition to screenwriter, she is Executive Producer for her film Artichoke. Karen produced, directed and performed in Anna Halprin’s site specific piece Planetary Dance in NYC’s Central Park to promote worldwide peace.