Steven Cosson

Artist, Change agent, Connector, Environmentalist, Explorer, Gay

STEVE COSSON is a writer and director and the founding Artistic Director of Civilians, the Center for Investigative Theater. The Civilians work has been described as “clear evolution in the world of modern theater” by Time Out New York; and in reviewing the recent show In the Footprint, Charles Isherwood in The New York Times said “the company's entertaining, insight-rich show about the controversial redevelopment plan in Brooklyn restored my faith in the ability of theater artists to engage meaningfully with the world, here and now.” Working with Civilians’ unique brand of in-the-field theatrical research, Cosson has developed numerous shows over the past decade that have been performed Off-Broadway and in over 40 cities nationally and internationally. He collaborates frequently with composer Michael Friedman (The Great Immensity, In the Footprint, This Beautiful City, Paris Commune and several other works) and is presently developing various new works with diverse artists including a new musical with singer-songwriter Jill Sobule, and a musical about the adult entertainment industry with Friedman and playwright Bess Wohl. Cosson hosts Civilians investigative theater cabaret and podcast series Let Me Ascertain You. Recent credits include The Great Immensity at Kansas City Rep (www.thegreatimmensity.org); A Devil at Noon by Anne Washburn, Humana Festival at Actors Theatre of Louisville; Anne Washburn's Mr. Burns (upcoming premiere Woolly Mammoth); writer/director In The Footprint (Top 10 of 2010 NY Times, Time Out, New Yorker); co-writer and director of This Beautiful City, Humana Festival, Vineyard Theatre (Drama Desk, Drama-League, Lortel Nominations), Center Theatre Group, and Studio Theatre. (Helen Hayes Nominations); co-writer/director of Paris Commune (The Public Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, upcoming BAM Next Wave); writer/director of the long-running hit Gone Missing which toured for several years throughout the U.S. and the U.K. culminating in a seven-month Off Broadway run at Barrow Street Theater (New York Times’ Top 10 of 2007 list.) Writer/director (I Am) Nobody’s Lunch, (A.R.T., Edinburgh Fringe First Award, London’s Soho Theatre, US Tour); director of Civilians’ first show Canard, Canard, Goose?. Additional productions of Civilians work at Actors Theatre of Louisville, HBO’s Aspen Comedy Festival, MoMA, London’s Gate Theatre, Arts Emerson, and many others. He has been a Fulbright Scholar in Colombia, a MacDowell Fellow, a Barron Fellow at the Princeton Environmental Institute, twice participated in the Sundance Theatre Lab, and Resident Director at New Dramatists. His plays have been published by Oberon Books in the UK, Dramatists Play Service, and an anthology published by Playscripts.

Democracy, freedom of speech, culture as a human right, baby sloths.

Most of my artistic work comes from learning how to listen. Still learning.

Climate Change Communications, Director of theatre, Playwright, Podcasts, theater

I met a lot of scientists, asked them questions and listened to them. I traveled to Panama and Arctic Canada. Then I wrote a play and Michael wrote songs. Then TED invited us to do something so we borrowed some of Michael's songs and I wrote something that's new but borrows from the ideas of the play. The play's called The Great Immensity. The TED show doesn't have a name.

Honestly, this thing I do is what I do and I'm bad at everything else.