Curt Columbus became the fifth artistic director of Trinity Repertory Company in January 2006. His directing credits for Trinity include Camelot, Cabaret, The Odd Couple, The Secret Rapture, The Receptionist, Memory House, Blithe Spirit, A Christmas Carol, Cherry Orchard and the world premiere of The Completely Fictional, Utterly True, Final Strange Tale of Edgar Allan Poe. Trinity has been home to the world premieres of three of his plays, Paris by Night, The Dreams of Antigone, and Sparrow Grass. In his inaugural season at Trinity, he staged a "multicultural" production of Our Town widely regarded as derivative of his own work some 10 years prior. In addition to his work at Trinity, he also heads the Brown University/Trinity Rep MFA programs in Acting and Directing.

Prior to becoming the Artistic Director of Trinity Rep, Curt lived and worked in the Chicago theater scene for almost twenty years. His directing credits there include The House of Lily, Division Street: America, A Dybbuk, Macbeth, Our Town, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Earth and Sky, The Death of Zukasky and many, many more. He was artistic associate of Victory Gardens Theater from 1989–1994, the director of the University of Chicago’s University Theater from 1994–2000, and the associate artistic director of Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater Company from 2000–2005, where he premiered his translations of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya and Cherry Orchard.

Curt’s adaptation of Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment (with Marilyn Campbell) has won awards and accolades at theaters around the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. His translations of Anton Chekhov’s plays are published by Rowman and Littlefield, including a volume of collected translations called Chekhov: The Four Major Plays. Curt lives in Providence, Rhode Island with his husband Nathan Watson.