Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation Names Charlotte Cohn As 2026 Denham Fellow
The Denham Fellowship is awarded annually to women who are early and mid-career directors to further develop their directing skills.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Nov. 19, 2025
Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation has named Charlotte Cohn as this season's SDCF Denham Fellow for her upcoming production of The Sound opening in May 2025 produced by Center Stage Theatre, a program of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Rochester. The Sound is a new musical inspired by true events. Set in 1943 and today, this uplifting musical tells the story of an aging Holocaust survivor who recounts the harrowing days after the deportation of Danish Jews was ordered by the Nazis and he and his family race against the clock to elude capture by hiding in a fishing boat sailing from Denmark to Sweden across The Sound.
“To be selected as this year's SDCF Denham Fellow is a true honor and a blessing,” said Cohn. “This fellowship will support my work on the first full production of a project I've dreamed of for decades and have been developing for the past four years with an extraordinary team of collaborators. The piece is a musical inspired by my father's harrowing experience as a Danish Jew escaping to Sweden in 1943, when the entire nation of Denmark came together to help their fellow citizens during the dark days of WWII. A true story many don't know, but one that echoes our current climate. I'm immensely grateful to SDCF for the opportunity to direct this deeply personal work and to share a story that, I believe, can illuminate and uplift in challenging times.”
The Denham Fellowship is awarded annually to women who are early and mid-career directors to further develop their directing skills. The Denham Fellowship comes with a $10,000 award. Cohn was selected for this honor by a committee including Pam Berlin, Desdemona Chiang, Monique Midgette, Gustavo Zajac and chaired by Marya Sea Kaminski. “Charlotte's vision for The Sound is both powerful and deeply humane,” said Kaminski. “Her work exemplifies the courage, curiosity, and artistic rigor that this Fellowship was created to uplift. We are thrilled to support her as she brings this beautiful and necessary story to the stage.”
Past recipients include Dalia Ashurina, Cristin Carole, Colette Robert, Arpita Mukherjee, Michelle Bossy, May Adrales, Tea Alagić, Rachel Alderman, Kathleen Amshoff, Jessi Hill, Joanie Schultz, Pirronne Yousefzadeh, Bridget Leak, Hannah Ryan, Diane Rodriguez, and Shirley Jo Finney.
About Charlotte Cohn
Charlotte Cohn is a director, actor, and producer who was born in Denmark and raised in Israel, the youngest daughter of a Jewish survivor of WWII. A long-standing member of New York's theatre community, she is dedicated to the development of new work, collaborating closely with playwrights to bring fresh voices to the stage.
As a director, Charlotte most recently helmed the UK premiere of Canned Goods by Erik Kahn at Southwark Playhouse in London, following her direction of the play's world premiere in the United States. Her directing credits also include productions at Berkshire Theatre Group's Unicorn Theatre, Jazz @ Lincoln Center, Safra Hall at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, The Cell Theatre, Premiere Stages, and American Theatre Group in New Jersey.
She is currently developing THE SOUND, a new musical inspired by her father's escape during WWII, co-written with Jason Odell Williams (playwright, Church & State) with music and lyrics by Christian Douglas (current star of Broadway's Moulin Rouge!). Charlotte recently directed a one-night presentation of the musical at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan.
Previously, Charlotte produced the New York Times Critics' Pick Handle with Care and the acclaimed Church & State. As an actress she appeared on Broadway in Baz Luhrmann's La Bohème and Coram Boy. An Ovation Award winner and Bay Area Critics Circle Award nominee, Charlotte continues to champion bold, human-centered storytelling across all mediums. In addition to her independent projects, she mentors emerging playwrights through TRU (Theatre Resources Unlimited) and serves on the moderating team of the Playwrights-Directors Workshop at The Actors Studio, where she is a lifetime member.
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