She is best known for directing and developing the international smash-hit Rock of Ages, which received five Tony Award nominations, including a nomination for Best Direction of a Musical. She has directed productions of Rock of Ages all over the world, including Broadway and the West End. Ms. Hanggi is also known for developing, directing, and producing the acclaimed pop opera bare, which ran to sold-out audiences in Los Angeles and off-Broadway, and has gone on to have hundreds of productions internationally.
Recently, Kristin directed the film Accidentally Brave, produced by Steven Soderbergh, based on the award-winning off-Broadway solo show by Maddie Corman (that Hanggi also developed and directed). Kristin also co-wrote with Corman a television adaptation of Accidentally Brave, currently being developed by Ben Stiller’s Red Hour Films.
As a film and television director, Hanggi directed an episode of the Emmy-winning Netflix musical series Julie and the Phantoms. Other film and television directing credits include: Naomi & Ely's No Kiss List, Grantham & Rose, and Dear Dumb Diary.
Some past stage productions: Clueless (with Dove Cameron); Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion(Seattle 5th Avenue): Pirate La Dee Da (currently being produced for television by John Legend and Ryan Seacrest); Atlantis; Pussycat Dolls Live at the Roxy (starring Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, Charlize Theron, among others).
In 2020, she released a poetry book entitled “God, Sex, Musical Theatre” which is being adapted into an unconventional stage experience, with music by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall.
Next up, Kristin will direct the musical It’s All Your Fault, Tyler Price! which she also co-wrote and is co-producing with Emmy-Award winning composer Ben Decter about a family with a young daughter with epilepsy. Kristin Hanggi holds a Master's degree in Writing from the University of Southern California, following her Bachelor's in Theater from UCLA. She was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award by UCLA's School of Theater, Film, and Television. Hanggi is the co-host of the popular podcast "Let's Play: The CREATE Podcast."
Theater Studies