Rhonda Kohl (Director/Choreographer/Out-of-Control Visionary)

Rhonda (she/her/hers) is a native of North Dakota, but has spent her life in search of warmer climates. She now resides in Los Angeles as a freelance director/choreographer who is frequently in NY for work and is known for her range and stylized approaches! She has her MFA in Acting and Directing, is a proud member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, an alumni of Directors Lab West, a member of the SDCF 2014-2015 & 2016-2017 Observership Class, the 2016 Traube Fellowship winner and a 2019 Sherwood Award Nominee. Rhonda recently was the choreographer/theatrical consultant for the CW television show Legacies (Ep.303: Salvatore The Musical) which aired Feb.2021 

Rhonda is the Associate Director for the Broadway premiere of I NEED THAT by Theresa Rebeck starring Danny and Lucy DeVito. Prior she was asscotiate on the US Premiere of AVA: THE SECRET CONVERSATIONS starring Elizabeth McGovern. She directed the LA Times Critic's Choice - AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS. Her production of the West Coast Premiere of FOR THE LOVE OF (or, the roller derby play), an all female roller derby dance-ical with Theatre of Note, was remounted at the Kirk Douglas as part of the Center Theatre Group's Block Party in 2019.

Prior she was the choreographer and assistant director for the Los Angeles premiere of NATIVE GARDENS directed by Jason Alexander. served as the assistant director and assistant choreographer for Pasadena Playhouse's Ovation-winning production of RAGTIME directed by David Lee with choreography by Mark Esposito.

In the fall of 2016, Rhonda received the prestigious Traube Fellowship from the SDC Foundation to work with director Kathleen Marshall on the Broadway Premiere of the new musical IN TRANSIT and worked again with Mrs. Marshall on MAMMA MIA at the Hollywood Bowl, The Roundabout Theatre's benefit reading of DAMN YANKEES in NY and Reprise 2.0's Ovation-Nominated production of SWEET CHARITY starring Laura Bell Bundy. 

Rhonda was the choreographer for PASSION at Boston Court and the Associate Director to Moritz von Stuelpnagel on the LA-premiere of the musical FOUND with Iama. She was the movement director for the California premiere of FRANKENSTEIN at A Noise Within and is working with UK writing team Wigmore and Green on the development of the musicals THE BACHELOR GIRLS and THE VELVETEEN DAUGHTER, which was to be presented at the Spring 2020 BEAM Festival in London. 

Additionally, she has assisted, and associate directed for theatres such as Geffen Playhouse (Barbecue and Long Day’s Journey starring Alfred Molina and Jane Kaczmarek) and Pasadena Playhouse (Ragtime, Native Gardens, King Charles III, Pirates of Penzance, and Tiny Beautiful Things) working with artists such as David Lee, Mark Esposito, Jason Alexander, Moritz von Stuelpnagel, Colman Domingo, Sherri Eden Barber, Sean Graney, Michael Michetti and others.

She has a passion for new works and has helped develop and premiere new plays and musicals at several festivals, including Mach 33, Skylight Theatre's Fresh Brew Series, SheNYC Arts, Rogue Artists Ensemble Lab, NAMT and the Hollywood Fringe Festival.

The real voyage of discovery, Proust told us, is not about seeing new landscapes, but having new eyes. The inner expansion he’s describing - the moment when you see life from a different perspective is the driving heartbeat of why I tell stories on stage. I want audiences who watch my work to be moved outside of themselves, to see from another’s point of view, even if only for a moment. I want them to ask questions, to wrestle with thoughts they’d rather not think, and ultimately, to experience the voyage of discovery that comes when our empathy for one another is multiplied in that peculiar way that theatre can accomplish best. These are lofty, idealistic goals, of course. But if I’ve discovered nothing else about myself as an artist, I know that these pursuits are worth the risk, and I like a good ambitious challenge. I like chasing what scares me about a piece and seeing what approach will serve the material in a surprising way. 

As a director, I want to be known for my range and my ability to handle many different kinds of productions. Whether it’s a large-scale musical, a farce, or a gritty, two-person drama, I am proud of my growing capacity for drawing the universal human experiences out of every kind of story. As an artist, I wants to be known for my range and be able to look back at a body of work as deep as it is wide. 

Coming from the world of movement, musical theatre and comedies will always feel like home to me. But as my work has developed, I have also fallen in love with the challenge of drama and intimate pieces, adapting my aesthetic to tell many different kinds of stories, utilizing movement and kinetic language to find the expressionistic heart of a piece. 

My journey from dancer/actor to director/choreographer gives me a unique physical perspective when I approach a show. I have a heightened awareness of kinetic choices on stage and the importance of what can be communicated non-verbally.  I always begin my journey with a show by finding movement languages or images that encapsulate the themes of the material and inform my approach. I am drawn, even in the most naturalistic of pieces, to exploring how expressionistic touches can shift our perspectives. I love finding ways to elevate “realism” through appropriate imagery that ties the universal themes to the grounded world of the story, even in the most minute details, like how the scene transitions help the continuity of experience for the audience. 

In fact, I believe my commitment to details is one of my most unique traits. I am a huge proponent of organization and preparation beforehand, so I can give myself the chance to know the world completely enough that I (and the team) can make spontaneous choices in the moment that fit the whole. I find a detail-oriented approach gives me the freedom to explore the big picture and develop my vision from a place of preparation. I know that through the journey of preparing, staging, and ultimately, watching a finished show, my point of view is going to be enriched.

As Tom Stoppard famously said, he writes plays to "nudge the world a little." I don’t believe anything is as effective at nudging the world as live theatre. I know firsthand theatre’s ability to affect me, which makes me all the more excited to use it to challenge or delight others and contribute to something larger with my life. And I can’t wait to take a few people with me.

I hope to create with you soon!
Rhonda Kohl