KAREN SIFF EXKORN is a best-selling author, playwright, screenwriter, dancer, performance artist and consultant.
Her solo play DO THIS, with a Tony-award winning producer and Tony-nominated director and actress, received rave reviews and had a sold-out run at its world premiere at Gulfshore Playhouse in Naples. DO THIS has been optioned for a Broadway run and film adaptation.
Karen’s multi-media performance piece BODY & SOUL premiered at the Gene Frankel Theatre (NYC) and solo play WHO'S THEY at the Knitting Factory (NYC). Karen produced, directed and performed in Anna Halprin’s site specific piece PLANETARY DANCE in NYC’s Central Park to promote worldwide peace. Her short plays THE DEVIL IS IN THE EGGS, ARTICHOKE, and THIS IS NOT A PONY PARTY had staged readings in the Spring Forward...
KAREN SIFF EXKORN is a best-selling author, playwright, screenwriter, dancer, performance artist and consultant.
Her solo play DO THIS, with a Tony-award winning producer and Tony-nominated director and actress, received rave reviews and had a sold-out run at its world premiere at Gulfshore Playhouse in Naples. DO THIS has been optioned for a Broadway run and film adaptation.
Karen’s multi-media performance piece BODY & SOUL premiered at the Gene Frankel Theatre (NYC) and solo play WHO'S THEY at the Knitting Factory (NYC). Karen produced, directed and performed in Anna Halprin’s site specific piece PLANETARY DANCE in NYC’s Central Park to promote worldwide peace. Her short plays THE DEVIL IS IN THE EGGS, ARTICHOKE, and THIS IS NOT A PONY PARTY had staged readings in the Spring Forward Festival at The Barrow Group (NYC) and short play NOW YOU SEE ME had a staged reading at Rattlestick Theater in NYC. Her solo play THE PIGEON was the winner of the Solo New Works Series, received a staged reading at the Los Angeles Women’s Theater Festival, and received top awards and a production at the Short + Sweet Sydney Theatre Festival in Australia. Karen's play SO. MUCH. LOVE. is a semi-finalist in the Screencraft Stageplay Writing Competition and solo play DO THIS was a semi-finalist in the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwright Conference.
Karen's screenplay of her stage play ARTICHOKE won Best Script at the World Film Festival in Cannes, Best Short Script at the Berlin International Film Festival, Best Drama Script of Hollywood Just4Shorts and Honorable Mention in the Los Angeles Screenwriting Competition. ARTICHOKE is slated for production in 2026. A staged reading of her SIX SHORT PLAYS ABOUT LOVE was performed at The Barrow Group in NYC and is in consideration for a podcast and TV series.
Karen is the author of the bestselling book, THE AUTISM SOURCEBOOK: Everything You Need to Know About Diagnosis, Treatment, Coping and Healing--From a Mother Whose Child Recovered (HarperCollins), and the parody FIFTY TWO SHADES OF BLUE-ISH (Orange Press). She is a contributing writer for Huffington Post, Thrive Global and Today.com. An Emmy-award winning Nightline segment was based on her family’s journey through autism.
An internationally acclaimed motivational speaker, Karen has been featured on Good Morning America, Today Show, CNN, CBS, The View, NBC Nightly News, Nightline, and in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. She has delivered keynote speeches at NYU Stern School of Business, Gallatin School of Individualized Study at NYU, UMASS Medical School, Columbia University, Brown University, and the United Nations.
A former professional dancer, Karen founded a dance company as an undergraduate at Brown University that toured underserved school districts. She has performed in NYC at Performance Space New York, Knitting Factory, People’s Improv Theater, and Kimmel Center for University Life. In addition to teaching dance classes at studios in NYC, Karen has also choreographed and taught dance to young adults with special needs.
Karen channeled her creativity into the business world by establishing KAS Consulting Inc and Speak On, corporate training companies that specialize in leadership skills, communication skills, public speaking and media coaching. Clients include Fortune 500 companies, C-suite executives, and celebrities. As an executive coach, Karen works with film/music industry executives, authors, performers, producers, publicists, doctors, lawyers and TED talk speakers. Corporate clients include: Sony, GE Capital, Armani, Tommy Hilfiger, Sean John, Defy Media, Louis Vuitton, Macy's, Saks, Bloomingdales, New York University, PwC, Equinox, the United Nations and more.
With a degree in Psychology from Brown University, Karen received her master’s degree in Psychology/Spirituality/Performance from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University, where she serves as Chair of the Dean’s Council. Karen is a founding board member for NEXT for Autism and co-chair of Night of Too Many Stars, a fundraising event hosted by Jon Stewart, where she has helped to raise over $35 million for autism programs. A master practitioner in NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), Karen received her Mind/Body training through Harvard Medical School. She currently lives in Rockland County, NY.