RAHWAY — American Theater Group (ATG) recently announced its new producing artistic director. Charlotte Cohn will succeed retiring co-founder Jim Vagias and assume her role at ATG beginning Monday, June 15, collaborating with Vagias. She will guide ATG into its next phase of growth, building on a strong foundation of artistic excellence, community engagement, arts education as well as new play development.
Cohn is an accomplished theater director, producer and performer. In her role as producing artistic director, she will oversee ATG’s artistic programming, production strategy and community partnerships. She will work closely with the board and stakeholders to strengthen the organization’s presence at the recently opened Union Arts Center and beyond, expanding its programming and audience reach throughout the region.
“It’s thrilling and exciting,” said Cohn. “I wanted to become an artistic director for some time now, after 20+ years in the business. I really wanted this to be my future.”
Her plans for ATG include putting the focus on the artists in New Jersey. “New Jersey has a wealth of artistic resources,” she said. “I want to collaborate with local theaters and local businesses. I’m going to bring more partnerships. I want to produce theater that makes you laugh, cry, think and hopefully moves you to action.”
Cohn also wants to concentrate on the community. She said, “What are they looking for? Really finding out what gets them to the theater.”
Her career started right out of acting school, scoring her first job on Broadway. She was a cast member in Puccini’s “La Boheme,” directed by Baz Luhrmann. “It was magical, really incredible,” she said.
Cohn was working all the time, then she became a producer. “It was perfect,” she said. “I’m passionate about theater. Being lead producer taught me a lot. It’s like being a CEO of a company.”
While being a producer was interesting for Cohn, she said, “There’s another lane I’d be enjoying.” And she began directing.
“Directing is the lane I really came to life,” she said. “That’s my bliss.”
Cohn is a recent recipient of the Denham Fellowship Award from the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF), which is awarded annually to women who are early and mid-career directors to further develop their skills. Her directing highlights include “My Italy Story” and “Canned Goods,” both for ATG. She’s also an Ovation Award winner and a Bay Area Critics’ Circle Award nominee. Her original musical “The Sound,” based on her father’s true story of escaping from Denmark to Sweden in World War II, can currently be seen at the JCC in Rochester, N.Y. “A lot of good stuff has come out of doing this musical,” she said. “We get a standing ovation every night.”
Being in theater is something Cohn wanted to do since she was 12 years old. Her mom, who was a big opera buff, took her to see the film “La Traviata.”
“It was a lightning bolt,” said Cohn. “I wanted to do that. I wanted to be onstage. I wanted to wear costumes like that.”
In addition to all Cohn does in theater, she also consults young people. She said, “One day at a time. Leave your audition in the room, don’t think about it. Build a community, a support team of friends and family who can be there for you. Find a hobby, don’t just do this. Take care of your mental health, your physical health. It [theater] can’t be responsible for your daily mood. Be a multi-hyphenate like me. Find things you’re excited about. Rent a space. Do it. Doing it is the main thing I can tell young people. Don’t make it everything. Anybody who works at any job, you stop at 5 p.m. (The) same goes for this business. It’s a business; it’s show business. Learn about contracts.”
To learn more about American Theater Group, visit: www.americantheatergroup.org.
Photo Courtesy of Russ Rowland
