Director Adam Brace has passed away at the age of 43 following a short illness. He will posthumously make his Broadway debut this summer, having directed Alex Edelman's Just For Us, which will begin performances June 22 at the Hudson Theatre. This summer, another show of Mr. Brace's will play in New York City, One Woman Show Liz Kingsman, will play the Greenwich House Theater Off-Broadway beginning June 14.
Mr. Brace was a dedicated director, playwright, dramaturg, educator script editor, and writer, across multiple artistic disclipines: namely comedy and theatre. He first studied at the University of Kent, where he received a BA in Drama. He then went on to receive an MA in Writing for Performance from Goldsmiths at University of London. In the past decade, Mr. Brace taught a wide variety of classes within the English department at Southampton University, including Post WWII Drama and English as a Foreign Language. He additionally served as a dramaturg and workshop leader for the university's theatre department. Mr. Brace also spent several years as a visiting lecturer in playwrighting at the Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London, University of Kent, and City University.
Mr. Brace wrote several plays throughout his lifetime, his first being Stovepipe, which transferred to London for an eight week-long engagement in collaboration with the National Theatre. Some of his other plays include Midnight Your Time, Electric Things, and A Real Humane Person Who Cares and All That. Mr. Brace's first script for film, Best, won the Short Film Contest at London's Sundance Film Festival 2013.
From 2011 to 2013, Mr. Brace was an Associate at the Gate Theatre in London, before becoming Associate Playwright at Southampton Nuffield Theatre. Most recently, he served as Associate Director at London's Soho Theatre.
Mr. Brace had a nearly decade-long collaboration with Edelman, directing all of Edelman's shows since 2014. Mr. Brace also worked on the Olivier-nominated Age is a Feeling by Haley McGee and Leo Reich's Literally Who Cares?!, which received a New York Times Critics' Pick this year.
In a statement on Twitter, Edelman announced his passing, stating: "He was my closest collaborator for more than a decade, but more importantly, he was one of my closest friends. I don’t feel ready to acknowledge the magnitude of this loss, but I already feel it."
The producers of Just For Us also released a statement: "We are devastated by the far-too-soon loss of Adam Brace, the beloved director of Just For Us and Alex Edelman's indispensable collaborator for the past decade. Adam had an incredible gift for nurturing solo playwrights, performers, and comedians as they honed their thoughts, instincts, hearts, jokes and craft into fringe festival favorites, award-winning plays, and theatrical experiences. This is a staggering loss to the comedy and theatre communities. We are heartened that his indelible artistry will live on in many acclaimed productions worldwide from performers like Alfie Brown, Liz Kingsman, Leo Reich, Ahir Shah, and Haley McGee—as well as his posthumous Broadway debut with Just For Us. Our run is dedicated to his loving memory."
Kingsman also released a long statement on Instagram about Mr. Brace, writing, "He was, and remains, a giant figure in my life, and for countless other Adam Brace devotees across the world. Like all the best craftsmen his artistry was undetectable. His talent lay in guiding writers, comedians and theatre-makers as they fumbled through the darkness in search of elusive moments of inspiration. He talked about his acts with glowing pride, but never ownership. He was a serial deflector of compliments. Humble to a fault. "One Woman Show had received an Olivier Award nomination when it played the West End.
Mr. Brace is survived by his partner Becca, and other family members whose names have not yet been shared.
