Kevin Duvall has been working in Theater for over twenty years as an actor, writer, director, producer, and teacher. He has studied myriad forms of theatre including Commedia Dell'Arte, Melodrama, Clown, Tragedy, Cabaret, Storytelling, Improvisation, Acrobatics, Mime, Stage Combat, Shakespeare, Ritual Poetic Drama within the African Continuum, mask, mask making, sketch comedy and many more. Kevin is currently based out of Chicago where he has resided since 2008. In that time he has worked with numerous theater companies including The Neo-Futurists, The Raven Theater, The American Blues Theatre, and Odradek Theater. The bulk of his time and energies have been creating his own work from the ground up. Most notably the award winning LIVE NUKES! which he toured nationally and internationally. Currently he is touring a new two person show called IRVINVILLE. He is a founding member of the sketch group AWESOMONSTER and the theater collective The Alluvium Group. He has collaborated as a writer and performer in five short films, and done numerous commercial and industrial gigs.
Kevin has received a Masters of Fine arts from the Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theater and a BFA in acting from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Irvinville is the first production of Theatre LuDu; the collaboration between Kevin Duvall and fellow Theatre artist Lucius Robinson.
Irvinville is a historical tragicomedy about America’s penchant for self destruction and the generational repercussions of unrequited trauma. Through fireside storytelling traditions, we weave a narrative through a collage of our nation’s greatest blunders, turning them into a modern American myth of ridiculous proportions.
Irvinville is a two person show which requires no technical elements whatsoever. This allows Irvinville to be performed in virtually any space for almost no money. It can and has been performed around a campfire!
Our goal with Irvinville is to develop a daring, resonant, and exciting show which we can bring to cities across the country and give to audiences for free. If you are interested in bringing Irvinville to your city, please reach out using the contacts tab.
LIVE NUKES! is an original play conceived and performed in collaboration with Taylor Brewerton.
Two government lackeys launch a nuclear weapon, and go through metaphorical and literal Hell to stop it. Live Nukes!! Explodes onstage with ridiculous pantomime, acrobatics, rocket chases, scat-jazz gibberish, and interdimensional travel, without the use of props, a set, or even words.
“a masterclass in mime and physical comedy.:”
Joshua Steele “CityBeat”
LIVE NUKES! Premiered in Chicago in August of 2018, and has since been performed in Cincinnati, Providence, Baltimore, Canada, and India as part of the Bharat Rang Mohatsov at the International school of Drama.
Kevin has been acting for over twenty-five years in theater and film. He has performed in every style from improv to Shakespeare, from farce to high tragedy, from neo-realistic melodrama to clown. He loves the written word and the power of language, but more so, he loves the profound power of the body’s language. He is always looking for deeper, truer ways to express complex ideas with his body and voice. Some of his favorite roles include
Bouncing Between 9 characters in Irvinville
Bosephus from LIVE NIKES!
Katurian in The Pillowman
Welch in God of Hell
Freder in The Pains of Youth
Butch Honeywell in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot
Lukas Haas in Haymaker
As an actor, Kevin draws much of his inspiration from the teachings of theatrical pioneers Jerzy Grotowski, Michael Chekhov, Anne Bogart, Antonin Artaud, and Jacques Lecoq. He also finds great inspiration from observing the forces at play in the natural world.
Some of Kevin’s favorite actors include: Toshiro Mifune, Klaus Kinski, Buster Keaton, Lee J. Cobb, Ellen Burstyn, Humphry Bogart, Jack Nicholson, Henry Fonda, and Meryl Streep.
Kevin has directed numerous theatrical productions including a music video cabaret, nine original sketch shows, and a devised play exploring the nature of dreams. Along with directing in a traditional capacity, Kevin largely works on theatre in an ensembles where no one and everyone is a director all at the same time. His interest in creating his own original work with ensembles often requires him to jump between the roles of performer, writer, director, and producer all at the drop of a hat. He has also collaborated with students in Chicago public schools to help them stage their own original plays.
Kevin's greatest passion is in creating his own work from the ground up by himself, but more often in collaboration with another person or an ensemble. In this capacity Kevin has in part created five short films, and too many theatrical productions to count. Some of his personal favorites include:
Irvinville - An original two person tragicomedy made in collaboration with Lucius Robinson
LIVE NUKES! - An original 2 person clown show with no props, set, or words.
The Last and Therefore BEST sketch show on the planet - An original series of sketch shows performed over the course of 4 weeks, each week a different show, with a different story weaving everything together.
Haymaker - The staging of an action movie written by a friend when he was a teenager. Performed with the Neo-Futurists
Some Bizarre Tree - A short, morally ambiguous, storytelling piece of a man pleading his innocence.
WE ARE HAVING A NICE TIME - A madcap family farce.
The Mix Tape project vol. 1 and 3 - A cabaret of staged music videos
No it all with Tay and K - A satirical podcast about how people receive and integrate information
Oneiro: The Moonwake - A devised exploration about the nature of dreams.
Kevin is a prolific writer. The majority of things that he has written, or aided in writing, have been produced for the stage. These include the two person tragicomedy Irvinville, the madcap family farce WE ARE HAVING A NICE TIME, the devised, pyschedelic trip Oneiro: The Moonwake, and too many sketches to count from his time as a member of AWESOMONSTER.
He loves the written word and has a particular interest in writing dialogue.
As Kevin is often creating his own work from the ground up, he often finds himself in the position of Producer. In this capacity, Kevin has helped mount numerous productions by organizing marketing strategies, finding performance spaces, and fundraising. Some of his favorite projects which he has worked on in this capacity include Irvinville, LIVE NUKES!, Oneiro: The Moonwake, Mix Tape project vol. 3, and The Last and Therefore BEST sketch show on the planet. Kevin has also worked as a producer on two podcasts and a youtube channel.
No it All with Tay and K is a satirical exploration of intelligence in our modern age. Kevin acts as host, writer, editor, and creator along with long time friend and collaborator Taylor Brewerton.
It’s a subtle and silly good time!
Kevin acted as writer and performer in a number of short films while living in Chicago. These films were made as part of numerous 24 and 48 hour film competitions.
HEADSPACE - Winner of Best Film at the Illinois Art Institutes 2010 24 Hour Film Festival
DELTA SOMETHING TANGO - Winner of Best Film at the Illinois Art Institutes 2011 24 Hour Film Festival
THEODORE THYME AND THE FORGOTTEN ONES - Winner of Best Fight at the 2011 Milwaukee 48 Hour Film Festival
ONE UP - Made for the 2012, 48 Hour Chicago Film Festival
DR. WHO? - Made for the 2012 Illinois Art Institutes 24 Hour FIlm Festival