Cohesion Theatre Company Cancels Remainder of 2019 Season and Plans a Hiatus as Executive Director Steps Down

By: Jun. 11, 2019
Get Access To Every Broadway Story

Unlock access to every one of the hundreds of articles published daily on BroadwayWorld by logging in with one click.




Existing user? Just click login.

Cohesion Theatre Company Cancels Remainder of 2019 Season and Plans a Hiatus as Executive Director Steps Down

The Staff and Advisory Committee of Cohesion Theatre Company announce to our Baltimore Theater community that we will begin a production hiatus effective June 30, 2019. This decision comes alongside the sale of our performance home "The Fallout Shelter" in Canton and the resignation of Brad Norris as Executive Director at the end of June.

Brad has been the bedrock of Cohesion from the beginning, growing the company throughout its five years to include ever more ambitious projects and collaborations. He has made the difficult choice to step down in order to focus on some family and personal matters at this time. We will miss Brad's leadership and will carry forward his commitment to creating a space for all in Baltimore theater.

The hiatus includes the cancellation of the two final shows in our season, Blood Wedding by Federico Garcia Lorca, directed by Trustina Fafa Sabah and All We Know is Not Enough by Darcy Parker Bruce, directed by Ben Kleymeyer. These projects are ambitious, and the Staff and Advisory Committee felt that it would be a disservice to their artists and audiences to attempt to mount them without adequate personnel and resources.

The Playwrights Fellowship will continue through its current term under the leadership of Abigail Cady, Playwrights Fellowship Coordinator. The current Cohort will present Staged Readings of By Sea by Laura Fuentes, directed by Dani Turner on September 14 and 15. Playwright David J. Hills and Director Kat Kaplan will present Where Our Dead Are Buried on September 22 and 23. The location of the readings is to be determined. It is also our hope that The Playwrights Fellowship will be able to continue as an annual project, regardless of the length of the mainstage production hiatus.

Moving forward, Artistic Director Jessica Rassp, Abigail Cady, and the Advisory Committee will assess and restructure Cohesion's mission and business plan. Our spirit of artistic endeavor, community access, and necessary representation will drive our planning as we restructure this organization that has been an artistic home to so many. We are deeply grateful for the support of the Baltimore Theater community throughout our five years of production, and we look forward to making more audacious art with you all soon.

In an effort to raise funds for The Playwrights Fellowship, Cohesion will be holding a Garage Sale at it's current home, 923 S. East Avenue, on Saturday, June 15 from 10am to 4pm and Sunday, June 16 from 12pm to 4pm. Most of Cohesion's equipment, costumes, props, building supplies, furniture and more will be for sale during these days, with special pricing consideration for other theatre companies and theatre makers.

Cohesion will also host a Going Away Celebration on Friday, June 28th at 7pm with food, drinks, special guests, and more. We will celebrate the first five years of Cohesion, and commemorate all those artists who have helped to build this company and community with us. We invite the entire theatre community, and our supporters to attend. More information about the garage sale and the celebration will be available on Cohesion's website, www.cohesiontheatre.org, and Facebook page in the coming days.



Videos