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Wendy Kout is an American writer and Producer who served as a writer, program consultant and story editor for Mork and Mindy through Seasons 3 and 4 of the show. Wendy Kout writes and produces for stage, screen and print. Her work has been appreciated around the world.
Wendy was commissioned by CenterStage of Rochester, NY, to write a one hour, docu-drama about the Holocaust Survivors who immigrated there. SURVIVORS is now performed each spring in over twenty-five middle schools, high schools, colleges and at CenterStage Theatre in New York. The play is suitable for middle school age and older and explores hatred, the capacity to survive and thrive, and serves as a call to consciousness for our challenging present. In 2022, SURVIVORS had school-touring productions in Rochester, NY, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Western Massachusetts and Victoria, B.C. Spring 2023 SURVIVORS, partnered with Holocaust Museum LA and the Holocaust Education Center of StandWithUS, will launch in Los Angeles and the West Coast, produced by Genie Benson and Wendy Kout of Arts For Change.
Never is Now, an adaptation of Survivors, had a highly acclaimed premiere with at Skylight Theatre Company in Los Angeles. This play, set in a present time rehearsal of a Holocaust play, explores the parallels between the perilous past and the perilous present... as a warning for our future. The second production of Never is Now is a virtual presentation, produced by Quarantine Players.
We Are the Levinsons had its acclaimed world premiere at Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company in St. Paul from April 22, 2017 to May 14, 2017. The play won BroadwayWorld Regional Awards - BEST PLAY and BEST ENSEMBLE IN A PLAY. The first international production will be spring 2019 in Victoria, B.C., produced by Bema Productions. The third production was to have been spring 2022 in St. Louis, Missouri, produced by The New Jewish Theatre... but Covid hit during tech and shut down the production.
During Covid, Wendy co-wrote several virtual plays for Skylight Theatre Company of Los Angeles. Wake Up Call, co-written with Jeff Reno, co-starred Nancy Travis and Charles Shaughnessy. Courage Takes the Stage, was co-written/co-curated with Michele Willens. Wendy was one of the co-writers of We the People, co-starring Allison Janney, Joe Spano and Jobeth Williams.
Wendy’s first play, Don’t Blame Me, I Voted for Helen Gahagan Douglas, co-written with Michele Willens, was a 2006 O’Neill Conference Finalist and had fundraising readings throughout the US, for Nation Magazine, People for the American Way and National Women’s Law Center. It was also nominated for the Weissberger Award and was a finalist in the 2013 Mario Fratti-Fred Newman Political Playwriting Contest. Casts starred Christine Lahti, Wendie Malick, James Naughton, Charles Shaughnessy, and Patrick Breen.
Wendy’s second play, Naked in Encino, was solo written. Naked had its official world premiere December 2014 at the CenterStage Theater in Rochester, New York. It was also produced in Denver by And Toto too Theatre Company, where the play won four Marlowe awards for outstanding theatre in Colorado, including BEST NEW PLAY, COMEDY and BEST PRODUCTION, COMEDY.
Dorfman in Love, Wendy’s indie feature was produced by Leonard Hill Films and stars Elliott Gould, Sara Rue and Haaz Sleiman. Theatrical distribution and exclusive premiere run on DirecTV video-on-demand was launched March 22, 2013. The film won Best Feature at the Hollywood International Film Festival, the Marbella International Film Festival in Spain, Miami Jewish Film Festival and Best Comedy at the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival. Dorfman in Love was also chosen by Cinequest Film Festival, USA Film Festival, Waterfront Film Festival, Naples International Film Festival, Ojai Film Festival, and the following Jewish Film Festivals: Seattle, Silicon Valley, Fresno, Minneapolis, Toronto, Montreal, San Francisco, Boston, San Diego, Phoenix, Berkshires, Buffalo, Denver, Charlotte, Maine, Palm Beach, Rochester, Sedona, Washington D.C., North Virginia, Vancouver, Vienna, Australia, Argentina, U.K. and Jerusalem. Wendy also wrote and developed film projects for Laura Ziskin, Barbra Streisand, John Hughes, Universal, Columbia, Tristar and Disney.
In television, Wendy created and was the Executive Producer of the cult ABC show, “Anything But Love”, staring Jamie Lee Curtis and Richard Lewis. Wendy also wrote and developed projects for Paul Reiser, Jane Fonda, Robin Williams, ABC, CBS, NBC and Lifetime.
Wendy serves on the Board of Directors of Skylight Theatre Company in Los Angeles and on the Honorary Committee for the Boston Jewish Film Festival. Home is Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, California with her favorite male writer, Dennis Koenig. Literary Manager: Will Levine 323 933 2224
She co-founded Arts For Change with the indomitable Genie Benson. This division of the non-profit Keshet Chaim Dancers, is dedicated to creating, developing, producing and supporting plays, films, dance, music and literature to inspire positive change in the world. In television, Wendy created and was the Executive Producer of the cult ABC show, Anything But Love (1989 - 1992) staring Jamie Lee Curtis and Richard Lewis.
Her writing and production credits include ABC-TV's Nine to Five TV series (1982 - 83), CBS-TV's Summer Playhouse, and Lifetime.
Wendy has developed film projects for Barbra Streisand’s Barwood Productions and developed films for Producer Laura Ziskin at Touchstone Pictures and Director/Producer John Hughes at Universal Pictures. Her Film credits include Dorfman in Love (2011), starring Elliott Gould, Sara Rue and Haaz Sleiman, which won Best Film at the Hollywood International Film Festival and Marbella International Film Festival and Best Comedy at the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival and Miami Jewish Film Festival. She has also co-written and co-produced Jacob the Baker: The Inspirational, which is presently in post-production.
Currently immersed in the Theatre Life as a playwright, Wendy's first play, "Don't Blame Me, I Voted for Helen Gahagan Douglas", co-written with Michele Willens, was a 2006 O'Neill Conference Finalist and had fundraising readings throughout the U.S., for Nation Magazine, People for the American Way and National Women's Law Center. It was nominated for the Weissberger Award and was a finalist in the 2013 Mario Fratti-Fred Newman Political Playwriting Contest.[2]
We Are the Levinsons had its acclaimed world premiere at Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company in St. Paul from April 22, 2017 to May 14, 2017. The play won Broadway World Regional Awards - BEST PLAY and BEST ENSEMBLE IN A PLAY. [3]
She has also joined up with fellow Mork & Mindy scribe, Jeff Reno to pen the short play "Wake Up Call" starring Charles Shaughnessy and Nancy Travis, and performed online (during Covid) as Skylight Live, Skylight Theatre Company, streamed on YouTube September 24 - September 30, 2020.
Other virtual plays/credits produced by Skylight Theatre Company are Courage Takes the Stage, co-written with Michele Willens, Skylight Live on Facebook and YouTube, April 30, 2020.Wendy was one of the co-writers of We the People, co-starring Allison Janney, Joe Spano and Jobeth Williams. [4]
Jacob the Baker, Wendy's latest play, was co-written with author/philosopher/poet, Noah benShea and will have it's first production at The New Jewish Theatre in St. Louis in 2022.