Staff
Jack Coates, Artistic Director
Mr. Coats feels that being an Artistic Director is no big deal. In his opinion any dummy can do it. So he sees no reason why he shouldn’t throw his hat into the arena and run Canal Park Playhouse. We see no reason why he shouldn’t either. Supported by his Producer, who goes by the suspiciously made up sounding name of “Kipp”, he has been running CPP since January of 2009. Mr. Coates has no resume whatsoever. No qualifications to run a theatre, but you’ll hear from him often.
His producer, Kipp claims to have spent ten years as a working actor in New York, appearing in several Broadway and off-Broadway plays, television and so forth. He also claims he sings and plays guitar in the subways, even that he’s a ventriloquist.-- and has done a lot of other things which qualify him to run a theater. We don’t believe him and don’t really care what Kipp may or may not have done in his life. He’s just a Producer. He wouldn’t know an artistic direction if it hit him in the head. To email Jack about this or anything else send emails to jack@canalparkplayhouse.com.
Kipp Osborne, Producer
Kipp Osborne would like to affirm that everything Jack Coates has written about him is true—except the part about him being a ventriloquist. He is honored to assist Mr. Coates at The Playhouse. Kipp can be emailed at Kipp@canalparkplayhouse.com or
through Mr. Coates’ email, which he has been instructed to check regularly.
Sara Murphy, Managing Director
Sara Murphy was asked to join the Playhouse by Mr. Coates. He thought her BA in Directing from Marymount Manhattan College and Masters in Arts Administration from Columbia University could be of use to him. Her past experience includes a stint doing programming at The Zipper Factory Theater and running a small theater company in the East Village. She also wrote a rather long and passionate thesis about the viability of young theater companies in New York City, which Mr. Coates is currently using as a footrest. Contact her at sara@canalparkplayhouse.com .
Vadim Ledvin, Technical Director
Jack Coates asked Mr. Ledvin to join the Playhouse to design the lighting and sound in Canal Park Playhouse and later serve as Technical Director. While Mr. Coates claims that he could have designed the lighting with his eyes closed, he chose Vadim due to his BFA in Theatre / Design from Tisch, NYU and extensive experience as a Lighting & Sound designer, Tech director and Production Manager, creator of Firefly Organic Design and part of Teatro de Illuminacion. But most importantly because Vadim likes oranges.
Joe Roland, Resident Playwright
Joe Roland is an actor and a playwright. On the Line, his play about the struggles of three working class friends, was produced at The Cherry Lane Theater by Mike Nichols, Jill Furman and Boyett Ostar Productions. As an actor he has worked in theatre, film and television in productions including, The Country Girl on Broadway, The Death of Ivan Illyvich Off-off Broadway and the film Charlie Wilson’s War. He is a founding member of the Water Theater Company and a graduate of the New Actors Workshop. Mr. Coates has put Roland to work on a biographical play entitled Jack Coates Isn’t as Dumb as He Looks.