Today we’d like to introduce you to Molly Kauffman.
Hi Molly, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi! I’m Molly Kauffman, an LA-based comedian, actor, writer, and producer. My love of theatre started with the Missoula Children’s Theatre’s production of The Hobbit where me and other 5 years olds were eagles and saved the day! I’ve been chasing that high ever since.
I’m from Montana where I got my start at the Children’s Theatre and Zootown Improv (as a high schooler). I was always a class clown, so now my adulthood is spent trying to hone who I’ve always been. I moved to LA for Occidental College, got my BA in Theatre, and have been auditioning, writing, and performing since.
In my plays, sketches, short films, and features, I prioritize writing dynamic, interesting female characters. They’re the roles I want to play, so it is important to me to share the wealth and make sure other actors get chances to have fun, big characters to sink their teeth into!
I’ve written and starred in the short films “Roadtrip Rebirth” and “Grandma’s Dead.” My plays won and were workshopped two years in a row at the New Play Festival at Occidental College (“Just Die Already” and “How to Get a 4.0”).
“The Wizard of Oh No!,” my new play-within-a-play premiering at Hollywood Fringe Festival (June 6-June 29, 2025), is my biggest swing yet! I wrote a 11-person show (12 for this production because my director, Gayla Goehl, added an ensemble member!). This play pokes fun at toothless theater that THINKS it’s saying/doing a lot while having the classic play-within-a-play goes-wrong nonsense I am inspired by from “Noises Off” and “The Play That Goes Wrong.”
The Wizard of Oh No! show dates are: Friday June 6th, 8pm ($5 ticket with code: preview), Friday June 13th, 8:30pm, Monday June 23rd, 8pm, Saturday June 28th, 2pm, Sunday June 29th, 2pm
Ticket link: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/11492?tab=tickets
The Wizard of Oh No! Instagram: @sepulvedabasintheatre
I am so excited to share this love letter to theatre (good and bad) with our audiences!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Producing “The Wizard of Oh No!” has been so fun, especially how much the cast and director have informed the piece and helped make it better. The script has shifted with the guidance of my wonderful director, Gayla, and putting it on it’s feet at rehearsals. I have never been able to see so many nuances and fixes when giving a script to a creative team. I am in love with this process and so happy with the script and cast we ended up with to tell this story! It truly feels like summer camp! I get to do what I love with people I admire and laugh the entire time at rehearsal!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a comedic actor, writer, and producer. Producing came about accidentally because I am type-A and a creative but I love it! I’ve done theatre my whole life and have learned how to be an effective communicator or leader from directors, producers, and stage managers I look up to.
What sets me apart from others is that I get things done. I do not mean that in a pompous way, I mean it as I am driven and focused, and whatever I put my mind to will get done. I am proud of all the live shows and digital content I’ve written, produced, and starred in.
What I am most proud of is my musical sketch comedy team I founded, Critical Booby! Critical Booby began in 2022 as a digital-only sketch team, where I ran a cohort of creatives. We wrote and pitched sketches and would film one a month. I began producing and acting in every digital sketch, while writing and directing some. Critical Booby has shifted to prioritize live show, that consistently selling out the Broadwater Second Stage and winning Sketch Cage Match at UCB 3 times in a row! I hope you follow us at: @criticalbooby and come to our musical sketch shows.
I love making people laugh and uplifting women. Every script I write, I want strong, dynamic female voices to shine. I also surround myself with amazing women (in Critical Booby and Ashley Ward who directs us), my short films (“Grandma’s Dead” was directed by my friend Casey Chapman), and my plays (which have always been directed by women). Working with Gayla Goehl for “The Wizard of Oh No!” has been absolutely incredible. All these women inspire me. I am so thankful I get to work with them!
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Risk-taking is the only way we can accomplish anything. If we just stayed in our comfort zone, we’d never grow or learn.
Every day I am putting myself out there, writing, producing, editing, singing, performing, and auditioning. If I were too scared to hone my comedic voice, I wouldn’t have an award-winning sketch team, or “The Wizard of Oh No!”
I feel more confident as an actor than a writer (because I started writing just so I could act more, like many comedians). I now realize, wait, I am a writer! I be writing! That confidence would not be possible without taking the risk and jumping into classes, and writing new projects that light my fire within.
Pricing:
- $15 General Admission Tickets
- $5 Tickets on June 6th 8pm show with code: preview
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mollykauffman1.wixsite.com/website
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/molly.kauffman/?hl=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@molly.kauffman
- Other: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/11492?tab=details
Image Credits
The Wizard of Oh No! Images taken by Gayla Goehl
Molly solo photo (in green shirt) taken by Jasper Lewis (June 2024, A Very Critical Booby Musical)
