Jeff Cohen

Most recently, Drama Desk Award winner Jeff Cohen’s play Squeaky received a reading at Baltimore’s Center Stage.  Previously it was presented as a COVID zoom reading by East Hampton’s Guild Hall with a cast that included Marc Kudisch, Ben Shenkman, Harris Yulin, LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Jessica Hecht, directed by Bob Balaban.  His play The Soap Myth, which can be seen on PBS,  has toured the country with such iconic actors as Ed Asner, Richard Dreyfuss, Bob Gunton, Tovah Feldshuh, Johanna Day et, al.  It is considered one of the most important plays about Holocaust denial and antisemitism.  Last summer, his play The Righteous was given a reading at The Center at West Park with a cast that included Melissa Leo, Amy Irving, Craig Bierko, Jay O. Sanders, Patrick Breen, Sally Murphy, Paul Hecht, Lou Liberatore and Chip Zien.  His play The Man Who Ate Michael Rockefeller was a critic’s pick in the NY Times and Time Out NY.  His landmark adaptations include The Seagull: The Hamptons marked Laura Linney’s stage debut – and has featured Tammy Grimes, DB Sweeney, Marin Hinkle, Neil Huff and Lizbeth MacKay.  Whoa-Jack! (his adaptation of Woyzeck) marked the stage debut of Michael Ealy.  His adaptation of Orestes (Orestes – I Murdered My Mother) featured the stage debut of Kathryn Hahn.  Of his many accolades, Mr. Cohen’s favorites include “A production of The Seagull which speaks to me more than any other in my lifetime” (Jerry Tallmer, the NY Post) and “When I spoke to Moliere later at a séance, he assured me he hadn’t seen a better production of Tartuffe in ages” (Thomas M. Disch, The Nation)  A long, long time ago, his new wave band Ernie & The Imports’ debut record – Made In America – was awarded Top Album Picks in Billboard Magazine.