| MICHELLE'S BIO |
| producing |
| directing |
| writing |
| coaching |
| performing |
| Michelle’s film production company, Other People’s Money, has produced the romantic comedy/action short Beyond Belief which is currently being made into a feature film. They also hold the rights to The Girl Behind Hollywood, a biopic on Mary Pickford which has the full support from the Mary Pickford Foundation. 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). Due to Michelle's 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, and more. 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. Michelle was 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. She produced six short films as the multimedia portions for the live stage show. 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 at the Richmond Shepard Theatre in New York. Michelle also produced the play/event Intersection starring Obie-winner Karen Kandel and Rebecca Guy. 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. “Intersection hit home to us on so many levels that I wish every FIRST STEP class and their mentors could see it! There are so many plays, movies, articles, etc. about the homeless and the domiciled, but Intersection gave these issues a fresh and clear perspective.” - Program Director, First Step, Coalition for the Homeless Michelle directed the romantic comedy/action short Beyond Belief which is about to hit the film festival circuit. Michelle 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. Michelle directed the one-woman show, Toasted, at Here and the San Francisco Fringe, where it won the "Best of the Fringe" award. “Toasted…is brightly comic, painfully brave and, ultimately, terribly tragic…deftly staged by Michelle Cohen…well worth seeing.” – San Francisco Chronicle Michelle developed, directed and produced the ballet, Tina's Feeling, and Dan Elish's musical, Just Desserts, at Fordham at Lincoln Center.
Michelle wrote the romantic comedy/action short Beyond Belief and is currently expanding the screenplay into a feature. Michelle has written The Girl Behind Hollywood a biopic on Mary Pickford. 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.
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.
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). |