Meryl Cohn

MERYL COHN’s playwriting awards include: The ATHE Jane Chambers Playwriting Award, Massachusetts Cultural Council Playwriting Award finalist, O’Neill National Playwrights Conference semifinalist, twice (And Sophie Comes Too, and Reasons to Live), Lark New Play semifinalist, The Eventide Arts Theater Award, and Curve Magazine's Lesbian Theater Award. Reasons to Live was named a Favorite Play by The Cape Cod Times. Eight of Meryl’s full-length plays have been commissioned and produced by The Provincetown Theater.

Her work has also been produced or developed at The Skylight Theatre, The Open Fist Theatre, TOSOS, The N.Y. International Fringe Festival (one of a handful chosen to extend to the Encore Series) performed at The Cherry Pit and then The Soho Playhouse, Counter Productions (performed at W.H.A.T.), The Road Theatre, Boston Playwrights Theater, and Smith College, among others.

She earned an MFA at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Play publications include The Siegels of Montauk (in the collection Lesbian and Queer Plays of the Jane Chambers Prize) and Best Women’s Stage Plays and Monologues, 2010, Smith & Kraus. Meryl founded the ongoing Northampton Playwrights Lab in 2006, and is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild.

THE FINAL SAY:
Strident Theater Northampton (production) MA 2019
Smith College Reading
Play-by-play Northampton staged reading
W.H.A.T. (Wellfleet Harbor Actor’s Theater) Workshop and Staged Reading

INSATIABLE HUNGER
(With Musical Co-writers Billy Hough and Susan Goldberg, starring Lea DeLaria)
Staged Reading at TADA! Theatre in NYC
W.H.A.T (prod. by Counter Productions)

REASONS TO LIVE
Skylight Theater, Los Angeles production (co-produced with Open Fist Theater)
Provincetown Theatre production 2012 (new version)
Road Theatre in Los Angeles- staged readings 2011 and 2009
Provincetown Theatre production 2007

THE SIEGELS OF MONTAUK
The Road Theater staged reading 2010 and 2012
Smith College staged readings 2012 and 2010
Provincetown Theater production 2008 (Prod. by Counter Productions)

AND SOPHIE COMES TOO
N.Y. International Theatre Festival 2010
Soho Theatre – Chosen from NYIT for extended run 2010
TOSOS Reading NYC -2008
Smith College –Staged Reading
Provincetown Theatre production 2005

NAKED WITH FRUIT
The Women’s Theatre Project (FL) staged reading 2012
Provincetown Theatre production 2006

ALMOST HOME
TOSOS Reading NYC 2006
Provincetown Theater production 2003

Jane Chambers Playwriting Award – The Siegels of Montauk

Jane Chambers Playwriting Award – Finalist – The Final Say

O’Neill National Playwrights Conference – Semifinalist- And Sophie Comes Too

O’Neill National Playwrights Conference – Semifinalist – Reasons to Live

Massachusetts Cultural Council –Finalist – Naked With Fruit

Lark Theatre New Play Award –Semifinalist – And Sophie Comes Too

Curve Magazine Lesbian Theatre Award – And Sophie Comes Too

Eventide Arts Jeremiah Kaplan Playwriting Award – The Final Say

Eventide Arts Jeremiah Kaplan playwriting Finalist – The Fadeaway Advantage

Cape Cod Times Favorite Play Reasons to Live

Women’s Theater Project (FLA) - Naked with Fruit

The Siegels of Montauk, published in Lesbian and Queer Plays of the Jane Chambers Prize)

Best Women’s Stage Plays and Monologues, 2010, Smith & Kraus.

Awake (short play), published in Estrogenius collection

Do What I Say: Ms. Behavior’s Guide to Gay and Lesbian Etiquette

Breath and Spark (illustrated by Donna Flax)

Advice column

Health column

Theater and film reviews, published in Boston Phoenix and Bay Windows

Reasons to Live:

“Playwright Meryl Cohn's thought-provoking and hilarious play was both brilliant and heartwarming.”- Cape Cod Times

“Non-stop funny, wickedly insightful, and infused with comic brilliance.” - Provincetown Banner

And Sophie Comes Too:

“Playwright Meryl Cohn has come through with another winner…Cohn’s genius is drawing characters who manage to be simultaneously over-the-top and innately human. Whatever your own family dynamics, this is a play that will make you laugh and also, sometimes rather unexpectedly, strike you with its depth.” - The Cape Cod Times

“Four Stars! Hilarious and very touching!” Time Out New York

“Very Entertaining. A great play… It is one show that shouldn’t be missed.” - NYTheatre.com

Ask Andrea Anything

“Ask Andrea Anything is a warm, funny play about people you like… Meryl Cohn draws characters will enough quirkiness to be original but enough humanity to remind us of women we know.”

Insatiable Hunger:
(with musical collaborators Billy Hough and Susan Goldberg)

“A feel-good rock musical comedy that will delight and move you. The show has it all: love, suspense, laughs, redemption, wit, poignancy, song and dance. After tstanding ovation, ‘Insatiable Hunger’ lived up to its title, leaving the audience craving for more.” -Cape Cod Chronicle.

The Siegels of Montauk:

“Cohn’s dialogue is crisp and revealing as it illuminates the dark side of grief and secrecy. At the same time, the intricate family dynamics spark clever fast-paced repartee that provide genuine laughter and joy.” - Cape Cod Times

Naked With Fruit:

“In her new play, Cohn mines grief for love, life-affirming moments- and humor.” -Cape Cod Times

Northampton Playwrights Lab (Founder)

Playwrights Platform

Provincetown Playwrights Lab (formerly)

Wild Geese Playwrights

Book author (Do What I Say: Ms. Behavior’s Guide to Gay and Lesbian Etiquette)

Teaching: Writing from life experience (Castle Hill; Provincetown Continuing Adult Education) Pl

Syndicated humorous advice columnist

Health columnist

Theater and film reviewer (Boston Phoenix, Bay Windows)

Mediator

Functional Nutritional Counselor