Producing
Most recently,
Michelle served as general manager for the workshop of George
Furth and Doug Katsaros' new musical The End.
Catherine Cox, Tonya Dixon and Brooke Tansley starred in this
exciting event at the Richmond Shepard Theatre in New York.
Michelle is the New York producer and was formerly the general
manager of the Off-Broadway hit Schoolhouse Rock
Live! (an adaptation of the ABC Emmy Award-winning
cartoon). The show ran Off-Broadway for a year followed by a
series of successful national tours and regional productions.
During the Off-Broadway run, she also acted as press agent.
Thanks to her marketing and promotional efforts, the production
gained unprecedented recognition from major media as diverse
as CNN, ABC's Good Morning America, MTV, NPR's All Things Considered,
Z-100, WPLJ, People Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, George magazine,
etc. The show was selected Playbill's "Outstanding Off-Broadway
Production" and Time Out New York's "Pick of the Week."
Licensed to Music Theatre International, the show can now be
seen throughout the year in every single state either at their
local schools or theatres. The show has also branched out to
international performances and continues to garner praise wherever
it appears.
Michelle also produced the play/event Intersection,
where each audience saw the same play presented twice, switching
the two lead roles (a black woman and a white woman who play
the parts of a lawyer and a homeless woman who meet in the street).
In addition to raising awareness of important social issues,
Michelle arranged to direct funds raised by the show to the
Coalition for the Homeless and Women in Need. Each night audience
members were shown ways that they could assist real women currently
experiencing difficult situations. The play was later made into
a short film.
She was also the original producer of Emmy Laybourne's comedy
show, The Miss Alphabet City Beauty Pageant and
Spelling Bee at the West Bank Cafe and Here in
New York City.
Directing
Michelle's
directing efforts are equally well received and wide ranging:
from musicals, plays (both classical and modern), ballet, to
comedy (both stand up and partnered) primarily in New York City.
She developed, directed and produced the ballet, Tina's
Feeling, and Dan Elish's musical, Just
Desserts, at Fordham at Lincoln Center.
Michelle directed the one-woman show, Toasted,
at Here and the San Francisco Fringe,
where it won the "Best of the Fringe" award. In addition,
she directed an entertainment video for "tweens" about
physical and nutritional health, featuring the Harlem Globe
Trotters and supervised by Bridget Bennett, nutritionist for
Oscar nominated film Super Size Me.
Writing
Michelle has written The Girl Behind Hollywood
a biopic on Mary Pickford. The film concentrates on her life from
age 16 to 35. The story interweaves her very human, romantic struggles
with an alcoholic first husband and a torrid affair that could
cost her everything, with her fascinating struggle against the
men of Hollywood who would have preferred she remained a quiet
and unassuming little actress. She has also created two television
shows, Too Many Kooks in the Kitchen,
a comedy cooking show, and Tune In,
a psychic sitcom (both currently in development).
Michelle is co-author of the book MenOpop, a Menopause
Pop-Up and Activity Book created by her company
Fill 'er Up Productions. She and her partners wrote, manufactured
and published the book, along with its companion website, www.menopop.com.
MenOpop has been on CNN, ABC, Fox and was featured in More, Maxim,
FHM, the Chicago Tribune, Washington Post and Dave Barry's Holiday
Gift Guide.
Coaching
Michelle is
a private coach for actors and singers, with a successful New
York practice for over 15 years. She has also served as an adjunct
member of faculty at several acting schools, including NYU.
Her students
range from novices to graduate level drama students to Broadway
performers.
She is a frequent
lecturer and workshop facilitator.
Performing
Michelle
Cohen is a professional actress and singer (a member of Actor's
Equity) as well as spokesperson for each of her varied projects.
She has performed in over 50 musicals and plays, soloed in hundreds
of concerts and trained extensively, here and abroad (graduating
from Sarah Lawrence College and studying at the British American
Drama Academy). Michelle has had a private vocal coaching practice
for over ten years in New York City and taught at several acting
schools, including NYU.
Michelle toured in a musical revue of Broadway shows in Germany.
She played such diverse roles as Maria in West
Side Story (singing
"Tonight"), Eponine in Les Miserables
(singing "On My Own"), Christine in Phantom
of the Opera (singing
"All I Ask of You") and Grizabella in Cats
(singing "Memory").
Immediately following that gig, she toured in Nunsense
with Georgia Engel. Once she landed in New York City, she began
performing her own cabaret shows. These include a wider variety
of song selections from jazz, pop rock, standards, classical to
musical theatre.
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