Kirsten is an award-winning theater director, educator and Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker. She is thrilled to be back in the theater again working with so many former collaborators after spending the past several years in the documetary field directing/producing social issue films. Kirsten has worked with American Stage Artistic Director Helen Murray on several productions in DC, including the Helen Hayes nominated BIG LOVE. Her theater work has been seen Off-Broadway, regionally and in Chicago where she co-founded CPS! Shakespeare, an innovative education program partnering Chicago Shakespeare and Chicago Public Schools (National Arts & Humanites Youth Award presented by Michelle Obama). Her recent films include This Is Where I Learned Not To Sleep, the Emmy-winning film, The Homestretch (PBS), and Golden Telly-Award winning digital series Healing the Healers, which examines multi-faith leader responses after mass shootings, domestic violence and the youth mental health crisis. Other Films include: The Girl with the Rivet Gun (animated short, AmDoc 2020; FDR Presidential Library), Stranger/Sister (UK InterFaith Week, 2020); Asparagus! Stalking the American Life (2008, PBS). Her projects have been supported by MacArthur, Sundance, ITVS, Kartemquin Films, Good Pitch, Bertha Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Chicago Media Project, Chicken and Egg, among others. She is a Graduate of The Juilliard School and lives in Brooklyn with her husband, son and overly active Belgian Malinois.