Joshua H. Cohen

Joshua H. Cohen

Joshua H. Cohen’s honors include a Jonathan Larson Grant, the Anna Zornio Children’s Theatre Playwriting Award (lyrics, KEEP ON WALKIN’), the Chameleon Theatre Circle New Play Award for musical ORDINARY ISLAND (music/lyrics), and a MAC Award nomination for his cult cabaret hit “The Sacrifice of Love” (a.k.a. the waxing song). Productions include his play THE THIRTEENTH COMMANDMENT (Libra Theater Company, 7 NY...
Joshua H. Cohen’s honors include a Jonathan Larson Grant, the Anna Zornio Children’s Theatre Playwriting Award (lyrics, KEEP ON WALKIN’), the Chameleon Theatre Circle New Play Award for musical ORDINARY ISLAND (music/lyrics), and a MAC Award nomination for his cult cabaret hit “The Sacrifice of Love” (a.k.a. the waxing song). Productions include his play THE THIRTEENTH COMMANDMENT (Libra Theater Company, 7 NY Innovative Theater Award nominations, 2 wins), musical TAMAR OF THE RIVER (Prospect Theatre Company, 2 Drama Desk nominations, world premiere recording from Yellow Sound Label), and children’s musical FLIGHT SCHOOL (Vital Theatre Company, OCR now available). Other work developed or produced by Emerging Artists Theater, Active Theater, Oberon Theater Ensemble, Jewish Ensemble Theater, Secret Theater, New American, many others. Member, Dramatists Guild; 2008-10 Fellow, American Lyric Theatre's Composer-Librettist Development Program; August 2012 CAP21 Writers Residency. BA: Amherst College, MFA: NYU-GMTWP.

Plays

  • Burned by Joshua H. Cohen
    Cast: 
    8
    ·
    Genre: drama, musical
    ·
    Keyword: financial crisis, A.A. Milne + 3 more
    Genre: drama, musical
    Keyword: financial crisis, A.A. Milne, the lucky one, brothers, rock
    Two brothers' tense relationship comes apart when one of them is arrested for financial fraud and the other can't help, or won't. Set against the 2007-08 financial crisis, BURNED asks what we owe each other, and what we are owed. Book by James Armstrong, music & lyrics by Joshua H. Cohen
  • Sam I Am by Joshua H. Cohen
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: family, Trojan Horse + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: family, Trojan Horse, Odysseus, magical realism, rust belt, dying town
    What does it take to step into somebody else’s life? Sam Kenner, a young woman adrift, wins her dream job, taking over Sam Krantz’s electrical supply company. The catch is, she also has to take over his entire life – husband to his wife, father to his teenage kids – so he can run off on his new Harley. Just as Sam starts to think she’s making headway integrating into the family, she is foiled by a sequence of...
    What does it take to step into somebody else’s life? Sam Kenner, a young woman adrift, wins her dream job, taking over Sam Krantz’s electrical supply company. The catch is, she also has to take over his entire life – husband to his wife, father to his teenage kids – so he can run off on his new Harley. Just as Sam starts to think she’s making headway integrating into the family, she is foiled by a sequence of events involving a dead dog, a missing child, an electrical fire, and the Trojan Horse.
  • The Thirteenth Commandment by Joshua H. Cohen
    Cast: 
    7
    ·
    Genre: drama, political
    ·
    Keyword: Holocaust, education + 3 more
    Genre: drama, political
    Keyword: Holocaust, education, high school, History, intense
    A popular teacher, to teach critical thinking and provoke debate, tells his eleventh-graders that the Holocaust didn’t happen. When the press gets word, sharp battle lines are drawn in his small ski-resort town.
  • Fun and Games by Joshua H. Cohen
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: road trip, siblings + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: road trip, siblings, free will
    Is free will just another delusion of grandeur? In Fun and Games, Amy and her brother Arthur are yanked from their quiet, overeducated dropout lives when Arthur's ex-girlfriend needs to be bailed out of jail. The cross-country journey challenges their stifling relationship and, as Melissa escapes with a bounty hunter on her trail, all four fight for control over their own lives. Guilt and innocence,...
    Is free will just another delusion of grandeur? In Fun and Games, Amy and her brother Arthur are yanked from their quiet, overeducated dropout lives when Arthur's ex-girlfriend needs to be bailed out of jail. The cross-country journey challenges their stifling relationship and, as Melissa escapes with a bounty hunter on her trail, all four fight for control over their own lives. Guilt and innocence, freedom and responsibility, and reality itself are called into question. It's the sort of trip that makes you realize what life really is... until someone loses an eye.
  • Tamar of the River by Joshua H. Cohen
    Cast: 
    13
    ·
    Genre: drama, musical + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: Tamar, river + 4 more
    Genre: drama, musical, tragedy
    Keyword: Tamar, river, war, Bible, Genesis, Marisa Michelson
    Tamar of the River is a compelling and innovative music theater work inspired by the Biblical story of Tamar and Judah. In a war-torn world, where East and West are divided by a River red with blood, one young woman is called to raise her voice. As Tamar sets out single-mindedly in pursuit of peace, she journeys to a foreign land, finding a new family and unexpected love. Each decision that brings her closer to...
    Tamar of the River is a compelling and innovative music theater work inspired by the Biblical story of Tamar and Judah. In a war-torn world, where East and West are divided by a River red with blood, one young woman is called to raise her voice. As Tamar sets out single-mindedly in pursuit of peace, she journeys to a foreign land, finding a new family and unexpected love. Each decision that brings her closer to her goal also becomes a choice she struggles to accept. Music & Book by Marisa Michelson; Book & Lyrics by Joshua H. Cohen
  • Ordinary Island by Joshua H. Cohen
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: pirate, imagination + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, musical
    Keyword: pirate, imagination, dreams, psychiatrist, fantasy and reality
    A corporate drone decides she is a pirate. It disturbs her coworkers when she shows up dressed to plunder a galleon, but gradually, the office is infected by Maggie's piracy. When Maggie is fired, she attacks her boss, and is confined to a mental institution. There, it is up to a well-meaning but unimaginative young psychiatrist to save Maggie from life in a medicated stupor... and perhaps she'll...
    A corporate drone decides she is a pirate. It disturbs her coworkers when she shows up dressed to plunder a galleon, but gradually, the office is infected by Maggie's piracy. When Maggie is fired, she attacks her boss, and is confined to a mental institution. There, it is up to a well-meaning but unimaginative young psychiatrist to save Maggie from life in a medicated stupor... and perhaps she'll return the favor. Book by James Armstrong, Music & Lyrics by Joshua H. Cohen
  • Still Life With Toe Shoes by Joshua H. Cohen
    Cast: 
    8
    ·
    Genre: drama, movement/physical + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: dance, ballet + 5 more
    Genre: drama, movement/physical, musical
    Keyword: dance, ballet, Painting, painter, Degas, Art and Artists, Marisa Michelson
    When a painter visits a ballet class to paint the dancers, the young women start to see themselves through his eyes. Old alliances are broken, rivalries are upended, and one girl falls hard for the painter and must choose to stay in herself, in her own life, or else to fly off after him and become someone new. Still Life With Toe Shoes tells its story through an innovative blend of music, dance and dialogue,...
    When a painter visits a ballet class to paint the dancers, the young women start to see themselves through his eyes. Old alliances are broken, rivalries are upended, and one girl falls hard for the painter and must choose to stay in herself, in her own life, or else to fly off after him and become someone new. Still Life With Toe Shoes tells its story through an innovative blend of music, dance and dialogue, and has a cast of seven women and one man (silent role). Music & Book by Marisa Michelson; Book & Lyrics by Joshua H. Cohen
  • Saga by Joshua H. Cohen
    Recommendations: 12
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, fantasy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: Fantasy, heroine + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, fantasy, verse
    Keyword: Fantasy, heroine, prophecy, findings cycle
    A teenage American girl vacationing in Sweden finds an ancient sword in a lake, awakening a warrior-goddess and her prophecy. Will it help her college application? The December play of the Findings Cycle.
  • Briar Rose by Joshua H. Cohen
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, fable/folktale + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: mystery, murder + 5 more
    Genre: dark comedy, fable/folktale, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: mystery, murder, rose bush, Sleeping Beauty, fairy tale, metoo, findings cycle
    A young woman is dead on her doorstep. Mal, a clever detective, suspects... the rosebush. The November play of the Findings Cycle.
  • Drones by Joshua H. Cohen
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: findings cycle, Politics
    Genre: comedy, drama, political
    Keyword: findings cycle, Politics
    Three governor's aides are assigned to recommend a replacement for a deceased senator. What does their choice say about them, their goals, and what they truly believe? The October play of the Findings cycle.
  • "That Sleep of Death" by Morris Uriel by Joshua H. Cohen
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, fantasy
    ·
    Keyword: metatheatrical, dreams + 3 more
    Genre: dark comedy, fantasy
    Keyword: metatheatrical, dreams, murder, morality, findings cycle
    A not-failed-yet playwright reads a study suggesting that greater creative achievements are reported by people who kill in their dreams. Can he lucid-dream-murder his way into creative success, or will his own psyche get the better of him? The September play of the Findings Cycle.
  • Furies by Joshua H. Cohen
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: drama, mystery/thriller
    ·
    Keyword: findings cycle, justice + 1 more
    Genre: drama, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: findings cycle, justice, what now
    Three siblings sort-of accidentally kind-of kidnapped the woman who got away with killing their youngest brother. Now what do they do with her? The August play of the Findings Cycle.
  • Octopolis by Joshua H. Cohen
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: findings cycle, octopus
    Genre: comedy, drama, experimental, movement/physical, political, science fiction
    Keyword: findings cycle, octopus
    Four octopuses who believe they come from space plot their takeover of the bipeds who live on land. The only thing that can stop them is their own dogma. The July play of the Findings Cycle.
  • Missing Out by Joshua H. Cohen
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    ·
    Keyword: findings cycle, networking + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy
    Keyword: findings cycle, networking, time bending, fomo
    Colin and Jill meet cute at a networking event. But as time seems to speed up and the evening threatens to come to an end, can they overcome Colin’s fear that something better is happening somewhere else? The June play of the Findings Cycle.
  • Indeterminate by Joshua H. Cohen
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, science fiction
    ·
    Keyword: findings cycle, science + 2 more
    Genre: drama, science fiction
    Keyword: findings cycle, science, physics, astronaut
    Dr. Miranda Ritchie performs a radical experiment to simulate the effects of a theoretical kind of black hole – wiping out quantum memory, thus escaping determinism and opening up infinite possible futures – on the only possible subject: herself. Can her advisor understand what would lead a promising young scientist to take the risk – or else stop her? The May play of the Findings Cycle
  • Pierreaux Island by Joshua H. Cohen
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: findings cycle, sailing + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, verse
    Keyword: findings cycle, sailing, boat, rhymes, explorers, time bending
    In 1750, an explorer on Lake Superior seeks for a new-discovered island he can name for his patron; in the present day, his descendants try to retrace his course. What will they find - and what will they do if they can’t? The April play of the Findings Cycle.
  • Gibbon by Joshua H. Cohen
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: findings cycle, Jewish + 2 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: findings cycle, Jewish, zoo, protest
    A couple who once made a harrowing exit from their restrictive religious community now faces their college-age daughter contemplating her own escape from the life they’ve built for her. The March play of the Findings Cycle
  • Doxman by Joshua H. Cohen
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, farce + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: findings cycle, Batman + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, farce, parody/spoof
    Keyword: findings cycle, Batman, internet
    A villainous Internet troll has met her match, in the hero our time deserves... DOXMAN! The February play of the Findings Cycle.
  • Superfood by Joshua H. Cohen
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: findings cycle, Dystopia + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, political, satire, science fiction
    Keyword: findings cycle, Dystopia, class, Race, parenthood, foodies
    A foodie couple shops for the latest treat: placenta, fresh from the maternity ward. But some mothers are more interested in selling than others. The January play from the Findings Cycle.
  • True Story by Joshua H. Cohen
    Cast: 
    4–14
    ·
    Genre: comedy, musical
    ·
    Keyword: cabaret, true story
    Genre: comedy, musical
    Keyword: cabaret, true story
    Songs that are absolutely true. Almost.
  • The Entropy Songs by Joshua H. Cohen
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: entropy, cabaret + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, musical, romantic comedy
    Keyword: entropy, cabaret, song cycle
    The universe is expanding. The universe is contracting. The universe is a multibillion-year process of returning to room temperature. And here in our little corner of it, the tribulations of our daily lives are doing pretty much the same thing. Sixteen songs provide snapshots of relationships in various stages of decay, and the valiant (sometimes not-so-valiant) efforts of lovers (and not-quite-lovers) to start...
    The universe is expanding. The universe is contracting. The universe is a multibillion-year process of returning to room temperature. And here in our little corner of it, the tribulations of our daily lives are doing pretty much the same thing. Sixteen songs provide snapshots of relationships in various stages of decay, and the valiant (sometimes not-so-valiant) efforts of lovers (and not-quite-lovers) to start a fire up or keep one burning. See why love is against the laws of nature... and why most of us do it anyway.