Thomas Kail

Thomas Kail began his theater career after graduating from Wesleyan University, becoming an assistant stage manager at New Jersey's American Stage Company. He directed the 24 Hour Plays benefit performances in 2007 and 2008, directing Julia Jordan's A Bus Stop Play in 2007 and Beau Willimon's Zusammenbruch in 2008 at the American Airlines Theatre.

In 2005, Kail directed In the Heights at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. He directed the Broadway production of In the Heights in 2008 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, earning a Tony Award nomination for Best Direction of a Musical. In 2009, he directed Broke-ology Off-Broadway at Lincoln Center Theater after staging its world premiere at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. That same year, he directed the Encores! production of The Wiz at New York City Center and directed the U.S. tour of In the Heights.

Kail directed Lombardi on Broadway in 2010 at the Circle in the Square Theatre. In 2011, he directed the Off-Broadway production of When I Come to Die and continued directing the U.S. tour of In the Heights. In 2012, he directed Magic/Bird on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre.

Kail directed Hamilton at The Public Theater Off-Broadway in 2015 and continued with the Broadway production at the Richard Rodgers Theatre beginning in 2016. He also directed the West End production at the Victoria Palace Theatre beginning in 2017 and the U.S. tour. In 2016, his theater directing credits included Dry Powder, Daphne's Dive and Tiny Beautiful Things at The Public Theater. In 2018, he directed Kings at The Public Theater.

In 2019, Kail directed Derren Brown: Secret on Broadway at the Cort Theatre, Freestyle Love Supreme at the Booth Theatre, and The Wrong Man Off-Broadway at the Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space. He also directed and produced Freestyle Love Supreme at Greenwich House Theatre from 2019 to 2020. In 2023, he directed Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. In 2025, he directed Anna Christie Off-Broadway at St. Ann's Warehouse, followed by Proof on Broadway at the Booth Theatre in 2026. He also performed in Faust: The Concert at City Center in 2014.

Kail's film work includes producing We Are Freestyle Love Supreme in 2020, directing and producing Hamilton in 2020, producing World's Best in 2023 and directing and executive producing Moana in 2026. He was also attached to direct and co-produce a remake of Fiddler on the Roof.

His television credits include directing, executive producing and writing the 2006 TV pilot Critical Hours; directing Storymakers and serving as musical director of The Electric Company in 2009; directing The Oprah Winfrey Oscar Special in 2010; directing three episodes of 2 Broke Girls in 2012; directing two episodes of The Jack and Triumph Show in 2015; and directing and co-executive producing the 2016 television special Grease Live! He directed and executive produced five episodes of Fosse/Verdon in 2019, directed two episodes of Up Here in 2023 and directed two episodes of We Were the Lucky Ones in 2024.

Kail also appeared as himself in a 2008 episode of Roadtrip Nation and in the 2009 Great Performances episode In the Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams.

His directing work has earned nominations and awards including the SDC Joseph A. Callaway Award for Best Director in 2007, a Tony Award nomination for In the Heights in 2008, an AUDELCO Award nomination for Broke-ology in 2010, a NAACP Award for In the Heights in 2011, a Lucille Lortel Award and Drama Desk Award for Hamilton in 2015, and a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for Hamilton in 2016. He also won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Grease Live! in 2016 and was a Kennedy Center Honors honoree in 2018 with Andy Blankenbuehler, Alex Lacamoire and Lin-Manuel Miranda for Hamilton.

In 2019, Kail received Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Fosse/Verdon, including Outstanding Limited Series and Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special. In 2020, he received Grammy, Directors Guild of America and Drama Desk Award nominations for We Are Freestyle Love Supreme, Fosse/Verdon and The Wrong Man. In 2021, he received Directors Guild of America and Primetime Emmy Award recognition for Hamilton, winning a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded). In 2023, he won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.