Artistic Statement
I've always found the "artistic statement" essay to be difficult. To my mind, an artistic statement begs for the revolutionary, the extremely personal, or adherence to an artistic category. I tend to bridle at the being pigeon-holed in an artistic sensibility or a specific artistic mission. For example, I don't see myself as a non-binary artist but my work, which has been championed by the LGBTQ community, includes directing and producing the first Off Broadway revival of Larry Kramer's "The Normal Heart" at The Public Theater, producing and directing the first Off Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' late play "Small Craft Warnings" (NY Times Critics Pick) where he makes a poignant case for the trials of a closeted queer artist, producing and directing the American premiere of Christopher Shinn's seminal gay work "Four" (NY Times Critics Pick) which started Off Off Broadway in the 74-seat Tribeca Playhouse and transferred uptown to Manhattan Theatre Club.
I don't identify as a Jewish writer but my play "The Soap Myth" is considered one of the most important plays ever written about antisemitism in the guise of Holocaust denial. "The Soap Myth toured the country with a cast that included Richard Dreyfuss, Ed Asner, Bob Gunton, Tovah Feldshuh, Jayne Atkinson, Johanna Day and John Rubinstein. "The Soap Myth" was filmed by PBS for broadcast on WNET's All Arts channel. My play "The Righteous" is the story of a member of Hitler's high command who placed himself and his family in grave danger by warning the world of the final solution in August, 1942 -- only to see his warning greeted with a deafening silence by President Roosevelt and the British Parliament. I produced and directed Tom Disch's meta treatment of the multi-generational blockbuster "Ben-Hur," General Lew Wallace's epic, sweeping tale of the first "Jew for Jesus."
I don't identify as an African American writer but my acclaimed adaptation of Buchner's "Woyzeck", retitled "Whoa-Jack!" set the play on and American Army base in the early 1960s and transformed Buchner's tragedy about the fracturing of European feudalism to an incendiary expose of American racism in the Deep South that culminated with an on-stage lynching. Leaving Shakespeare's text intact, my acclaimed production of "As You Like It" - a Critics Pick in New York and Los Angeles - transformed the Forest of Arden into The Forest of Arden Federal Housing Projects and the Foresters into an inner-city gang - ministered to by Jacques, a dour ex-junkie and gang banger looking to make a difference in the projects. My play "The Man Who Ate Michael Rockefeller" was one of the best reviewed plays of the 2010 Off Broadway season - a Critics Pick in The NY Times and Time Out New York - which Liz McCann was bringing to Broadway before her passing. The story of Michael Rockefeller's disappearance among cannibals in Papua, New Guinea is told by the cannibals themselves in a cultural reversal that completely upends the ultimate tale of White privilege.
I don't identify as a political artist but my Tribeca Playhouse Stage Door Canteen, a 10 week USO-style show that brought dozens of Broadway stars to Ground Zero to "entertain the troops"- the rescue and recovery workers at the World Trade Center site - was internationally acclaimed as a response to the attacks of 9/11. My series "Voices of Peace and Dissent" brought dozens of performers and activists to Ground Zero in protest of the ramp up to the invasion of Iraq. I produced and directed Tom Disch's highly controversial play "The Cardinal Detoxes" which exploded into an international censorship scandal with the Catholic Archdiocese of New York and my attorneys Bill Kuntsler and Ron Kuby.
These (and many more in a 60 year career) defy any easy classification or artistic statement. I make art that moves me and excites me, that's statement enough.
I don't identify as a Jewish writer but my play "The Soap Myth" is considered one of the most important plays ever written about antisemitism in the guise of Holocaust denial. "The Soap Myth toured the country with a cast that included Richard Dreyfuss, Ed Asner, Bob Gunton, Tovah Feldshuh, Jayne Atkinson, Johanna Day and John Rubinstein. "The Soap Myth" was filmed by PBS for broadcast on WNET's All Arts channel. My play "The Righteous" is the story of a member of Hitler's high command who placed himself and his family in grave danger by warning the world of the final solution in August, 1942 -- only to see his warning greeted with a deafening silence by President Roosevelt and the British Parliament. I produced and directed Tom Disch's meta treatment of the multi-generational blockbuster "Ben-Hur," General Lew Wallace's epic, sweeping tale of the first "Jew for Jesus."
I don't identify as an African American writer but my acclaimed adaptation of Buchner's "Woyzeck", retitled "Whoa-Jack!" set the play on and American Army base in the early 1960s and transformed Buchner's tragedy about the fracturing of European feudalism to an incendiary expose of American racism in the Deep South that culminated with an on-stage lynching. Leaving Shakespeare's text intact, my acclaimed production of "As You Like It" - a Critics Pick in New York and Los Angeles - transformed the Forest of Arden into The Forest of Arden Federal Housing Projects and the Foresters into an inner-city gang - ministered to by Jacques, a dour ex-junkie and gang banger looking to make a difference in the projects. My play "The Man Who Ate Michael Rockefeller" was one of the best reviewed plays of the 2010 Off Broadway season - a Critics Pick in The NY Times and Time Out New York - which Liz McCann was bringing to Broadway before her passing. The story of Michael Rockefeller's disappearance among cannibals in Papua, New Guinea is told by the cannibals themselves in a cultural reversal that completely upends the ultimate tale of White privilege.
I don't identify as a political artist but my Tribeca Playhouse Stage Door Canteen, a 10 week USO-style show that brought dozens of Broadway stars to Ground Zero to "entertain the troops"- the rescue and recovery workers at the World Trade Center site - was internationally acclaimed as a response to the attacks of 9/11. My series "Voices of Peace and Dissent" brought dozens of performers and activists to Ground Zero in protest of the ramp up to the invasion of Iraq. I produced and directed Tom Disch's highly controversial play "The Cardinal Detoxes" which exploded into an international censorship scandal with the Catholic Archdiocese of New York and my attorneys Bill Kuntsler and Ron Kuby.
These (and many more in a 60 year career) defy any easy classification or artistic statement. I make art that moves me and excites me, that's statement enough.
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Jeff Cohen
Artistic Statement
I've always found the "artistic statement" essay to be difficult. To my mind, an artistic statement begs for the revolutionary, the extremely personal, or adherence to an artistic category. I tend to bridle at the being pigeon-holed in an artistic sensibility or a specific artistic mission. For example, I don't see myself as a non-binary artist but my work, which has been championed by the LGBTQ community, includes directing and producing the first Off Broadway revival of Larry Kramer's "The Normal Heart" at The Public Theater, producing and directing the first Off Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' late play "Small Craft Warnings" (NY Times Critics Pick) where he makes a poignant case for the trials of a closeted queer artist, producing and directing the American premiere of Christopher Shinn's seminal gay work "Four" (NY Times Critics Pick) which started Off Off Broadway in the 74-seat Tribeca Playhouse and transferred uptown to Manhattan Theatre Club.
I don't identify as a Jewish writer but my play "The Soap Myth" is considered one of the most important plays ever written about antisemitism in the guise of Holocaust denial. "The Soap Myth toured the country with a cast that included Richard Dreyfuss, Ed Asner, Bob Gunton, Tovah Feldshuh, Jayne Atkinson, Johanna Day and John Rubinstein. "The Soap Myth" was filmed by PBS for broadcast on WNET's All Arts channel. My play "The Righteous" is the story of a member of Hitler's high command who placed himself and his family in grave danger by warning the world of the final solution in August, 1942 -- only to see his warning greeted with a deafening silence by President Roosevelt and the British Parliament. I produced and directed Tom Disch's meta treatment of the multi-generational blockbuster "Ben-Hur," General Lew Wallace's epic, sweeping tale of the first "Jew for Jesus."
I don't identify as an African American writer but my acclaimed adaptation of Buchner's "Woyzeck", retitled "Whoa-Jack!" set the play on and American Army base in the early 1960s and transformed Buchner's tragedy about the fracturing of European feudalism to an incendiary expose of American racism in the Deep South that culminated with an on-stage lynching. Leaving Shakespeare's text intact, my acclaimed production of "As You Like It" - a Critics Pick in New York and Los Angeles - transformed the Forest of Arden into The Forest of Arden Federal Housing Projects and the Foresters into an inner-city gang - ministered to by Jacques, a dour ex-junkie and gang banger looking to make a difference in the projects. My play "The Man Who Ate Michael Rockefeller" was one of the best reviewed plays of the 2010 Off Broadway season - a Critics Pick in The NY Times and Time Out New York - which Liz McCann was bringing to Broadway before her passing. The story of Michael Rockefeller's disappearance among cannibals in Papua, New Guinea is told by the cannibals themselves in a cultural reversal that completely upends the ultimate tale of White privilege.
I don't identify as a political artist but my Tribeca Playhouse Stage Door Canteen, a 10 week USO-style show that brought dozens of Broadway stars to Ground Zero to "entertain the troops"- the rescue and recovery workers at the World Trade Center site - was internationally acclaimed as a response to the attacks of 9/11. My series "Voices of Peace and Dissent" brought dozens of performers and activists to Ground Zero in protest of the ramp up to the invasion of Iraq. I produced and directed Tom Disch's highly controversial play "The Cardinal Detoxes" which exploded into an international censorship scandal with the Catholic Archdiocese of New York and my attorneys Bill Kuntsler and Ron Kuby.
These (and many more in a 60 year career) defy any easy classification or artistic statement. I make art that moves me and excites me, that's statement enough.
I don't identify as a Jewish writer but my play "The Soap Myth" is considered one of the most important plays ever written about antisemitism in the guise of Holocaust denial. "The Soap Myth toured the country with a cast that included Richard Dreyfuss, Ed Asner, Bob Gunton, Tovah Feldshuh, Jayne Atkinson, Johanna Day and John Rubinstein. "The Soap Myth" was filmed by PBS for broadcast on WNET's All Arts channel. My play "The Righteous" is the story of a member of Hitler's high command who placed himself and his family in grave danger by warning the world of the final solution in August, 1942 -- only to see his warning greeted with a deafening silence by President Roosevelt and the British Parliament. I produced and directed Tom Disch's meta treatment of the multi-generational blockbuster "Ben-Hur," General Lew Wallace's epic, sweeping tale of the first "Jew for Jesus."
I don't identify as an African American writer but my acclaimed adaptation of Buchner's "Woyzeck", retitled "Whoa-Jack!" set the play on and American Army base in the early 1960s and transformed Buchner's tragedy about the fracturing of European feudalism to an incendiary expose of American racism in the Deep South that culminated with an on-stage lynching. Leaving Shakespeare's text intact, my acclaimed production of "As You Like It" - a Critics Pick in New York and Los Angeles - transformed the Forest of Arden into The Forest of Arden Federal Housing Projects and the Foresters into an inner-city gang - ministered to by Jacques, a dour ex-junkie and gang banger looking to make a difference in the projects. My play "The Man Who Ate Michael Rockefeller" was one of the best reviewed plays of the 2010 Off Broadway season - a Critics Pick in The NY Times and Time Out New York - which Liz McCann was bringing to Broadway before her passing. The story of Michael Rockefeller's disappearance among cannibals in Papua, New Guinea is told by the cannibals themselves in a cultural reversal that completely upends the ultimate tale of White privilege.
I don't identify as a political artist but my Tribeca Playhouse Stage Door Canteen, a 10 week USO-style show that brought dozens of Broadway stars to Ground Zero to "entertain the troops"- the rescue and recovery workers at the World Trade Center site - was internationally acclaimed as a response to the attacks of 9/11. My series "Voices of Peace and Dissent" brought dozens of performers and activists to Ground Zero in protest of the ramp up to the invasion of Iraq. I produced and directed Tom Disch's highly controversial play "The Cardinal Detoxes" which exploded into an international censorship scandal with the Catholic Archdiocese of New York and my attorneys Bill Kuntsler and Ron Kuby.
These (and many more in a 60 year career) defy any easy classification or artistic statement. I make art that moves me and excites me, that's statement enough.