We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Emily Cox a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Emily , thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
As a performer, I initially learned to overcome imposter syndrome by sitting on the other side of the audition table! In 2015, I was asked to direct several productions here in Chicago. Up to this point, I had only directed a few projects during my time in graduate school. I was excited and nervous about being in charge, and wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the entire process. What I discovered was that auditions are just as nerve-wracking for the audition panel as they are for those auditioning! My colleagues and I were worried about making a positive impression on the colleagues and professionals that came into the room, and we were anxious to ensure that they would have as relaxing and encouraging of an environment as possible while they shared their time and talents with us all. Knowing how it feels to sit on the other side of the table completely changed the way that I approach auditions now. It helps me now to remember that everyone in the room truly is rooting for me to do my best, and are excited to see what I can offer them in terms of possibilities.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I launched Cox Productions in 2015 when I moved to Chicago, IL. Up to this point, I had been a theater kid–my mother was an actress and a director in our region, and my aunt was a well-known actress and director in Indianapolis. I had the benefit of experiencing productions on various scales and professional levels throughout my childhood, and watching how the process worked from start to finish. It wasn’t long before I was dreaming about creating my own productions, and helping my friends who were playwrights and composers launch their own projects into existence. Out of this desire to create new stories and craft new works came Cox Productions. We started very small, with single-run projects and productions with small casts and one or two instruments in total. Eventually, after a lot of hard work, we’ve managed to grow more and more each year!
Today, Cox Productions delivers innovative new works that make artistic events both relevant and exciting for all audiences. We commission, produce and promote musical concerts, site-specific theatrical events, educational and community programs, and immersive productions for diverse audiences across the nation.
Cox Productions is a full-service production company that specializes in helping creatives get their projects underway and assisting them in bringing their visions to fruition. We largely focus on emerging contemporary composers, filmmakers, playwrights, visual artists, dancers, and writers. We are committed to commissioning, marketing and producing work by living American artists, and firmly believe that contemporary art, music and theater has the ability to transform lives. We insist on working with collaborators who know their mediums inside out, and who know how to communicate with their audiences. Our roster of seasoned professionals—directors, writers, designers, performers, and producers—are committed to critical inquiry, the sharing of new and exciting stories, and the development of new cultural perspectives.
With our 15+ years of experience in both the worlds of live and digital performance, we are able to work with your unique needs to assure that your next project finds its brightest possible future!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I think one of the biggest areas of knowledge that impacted me the most on my journey was learning technical theater skills. My Masters degree is in vocal performance–I had no formal background in technical theater, it was something I had to seek out on my own. I knew that the works that I wanted to see performed on stage weren’t getting done, and that I was likely going to have to learn to how to produce them on my own. I needed to start with the first steps, which are fundraising and budgeting, which I was familiar with thanks to my childhood exposure to professional theater management…but I also needed some deeper knowledge of what takes place behind the curtain in order to properly account for and prepare a successful production. As a producer and director, you can’t begin to communicate with a lighting designer if you don’t understand basic lighting concepts, and you can’t begin to commission pieces from a set designer without realizing the scope of what you’re asking for. After many years of interviewing professionals and colleagues, reading as many books on the subject as I could find, and interning and volunteering my time and energies, I learned what I now use every day as a producer.
Another major area of knowledge that I think has been seriously impactful was my rural Midwestern background. I grew up in a very small town in Southern Indiana, where theater was very scarce. People didn’t have as much time and money to go to live entertainment, so companies needed to be discerning about what they selected for their seasons. The shows that my mother was able to successfully produce were very different than those that my aunt was producing only three hours north of us in Indianapolis at her own company. I learned a lot about audience needs and wants, how to predict a change in your upcoming audience base, and how to market to the audiences you’d like to attract as well as those you’re currently servicing. I think this has really helped me and my current clients to identify which projects and productions would be successful and which should wait for future seasons, and to grow their current audiences as well. Chicago is still used by Broadway-based theater companies as the basis to experiment and grow new productions, so living and working here also helps keep me on the cutting-edge of new and exciting audience trends and tendencies.
The last skill I have that has really helped me as a producer is my background in performance! I continue to actively perform in a variety of genres, including opera, operetta, musical theatre, jazz, contemporary and experimental music. I’m constantly meeting new transplants to the area and networking with established professionals, which helps to get the word out about my brand and the services we offer. It also helps to keep me aware of the current performers’ demands on their time and talents, and to anticipate any needs, wants or desires they might have within a working environment. This helps me with everything from selecting venues for individual projects to scheduling rehearsals-I always have my performers’ best interests and comfort in mind, and I really think this helps to set us apart from other production companies. After five seasons of operations, we have an established roster of singers and instrumentalists to return to work with us again and again–so I’d like to think this is a sign that we’re doing something right!
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
It sounds very strange, but the book that truly convinced me to take a chance and to dive into producing was Amy Poehler’s ‘Yes Please’. Amy’s account of her time in Chicago with The Second City inspired me to start experimenting within my own art form, and to seek out new opportunities to try and stretch my current skill sets more and more. There is a passage in which she talked about her decision to leave Chicago and to move to New York, where she eventually formed the Upright Citizen’s Brigade–in this passage, Amy mentioned that she ‘didn’t need to worry about where she would end up, because she believed that wherever she went, she could and would make work happen. “In three short years Chicago had taught me that I could decide who I was. My only job was to surround myself with people who respected and supported that choice. Being foolish was the smartest thing to do.” I read this quote and it changed the way I approached auditioning–I didn’t have to go into a room and beg someone to cast me or give me a job, because I could always find another role or another gig…and now I knew, even if I couldn’t, I could just make one for myself instead. To this day, I tell my students and clients this: you will never be out of work again, because if push comes to shove, you can just make your own work, and it usually is more satisfying and creatively fulfilling than anything you’ve ever done.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://emilycoxsoprano.wixsite.com/emilycox
- Instagram: @theblondehurricane; @coxproductionsllc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emily.cox.14289
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-cox-97351187/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UConLpLocj9LoZSJR7w8zqoQ
Image Credits
These are various images from past productions and marketing materials that Cox Productions has produced within the past three years.
