Kirsten is currently the Director of New Works at the Blank Theatre in Hollywood, where they have 30 new play workshops they will be producing this season alone). She has directed new works for the stage by Michael John LaChiusa, Craig Lucas, Shel Silverstein, Steven Schwartz and Blake Edwards, among others. Her work has been seen at The New York Shakespeare Festival, PS 122, Circle Rep, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Director's Company, The New York Theatre Workshop, The Blank Theatre Company, Theatreworks USA, The Women's Project, The HBO Comedy Arts Festival, Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall and Town Hall. Her long running Off Broadway production of Todd Robbin's "Carnival Knowledge" at Soho Playhouse was recognized as Best of the NY Fringe Festival in 2003 and was nominated for a 2004 Drama Desk Award. She directed the Obie Award winning original production of Michael John LaChiusa's "First Lady Suite" at the New York Shakespeare Festival, and the original production of his "Lucky Nurse" at Playwrights Horizons. The cast album of her Blank Theatre Co. production of LaChiusa’s “Little Fish” starring Tony Award Winners Alice Ripley and Greg Jbara was recently released by Ghostlight Records. This fall at the Blank she directed “Terre Haute”, with Mike Farrell and Jim Parrack. She has served as Director in residence at New Dramatists, as Director of the Ensemble Studio Theatre's National Theatre Colony, and as Director of Musical Development for Metropolitan Entertainment. On television her work has been seen on The Food Network, The History Channel and A&E’s Biography. She has taught Music Theatre Performance at Playwrights Horizons Theatre School, at NYU, at the Eugene O’Neil Center's National Theatre Institute and at AMDA Los Angeles. She is a member of the Selection Committee for the Blank’s Young Playwright’s Festival. Kirsten has spent the last 17 years as a directing and producing associate to her mentor the late filmmaker Blake Edwards.