James A. Rocco
Vice President of Programming and
Producing Artistic Director
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts

At Ordway Center for the Performing Arts Mr. Rocco is responsible for producing, presenting and booking Theatrical Programming on the Main Stage (1900 seats) and The McKnight Theatre (300 seats).  He is a member of The Broadway League, Elephant Eye Theatricals, Five Cent Productions and the Independent Producers' Network, where he has participated as a producing partner on Legally Blonde, The Color Purple, Curtains and Edward Scissorhands.

He serves on the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's New Works committee and commissioned the holiday musical A Country Christmas Carol as well as participating in the creation of the off-Broadway cult hits Nite Club Confidential and Streakin'!

He was the Executive Producer and Co-Director of the Regional Emmy Nominated Documentary, The World We Create and Directed the Television and Video Musical, Born of A Dream.

In Tokyo, for Mitsubishi/ArtSphere, he created the stage and television spectacular, Galaxy Express 999.  Based on the popular manga, which features a train that flies through outer space, the show played a smash run in Tokyo followed by a televised broadcast to millions of viewers throughout Japan.

At OCPA:

Producer
Love, Janis (2007 Ameriprise Ivey Award)
The Rocky Horror Show (Star Tribune Best Musical of 2007)
The Sound of Music (3 week run, 43,000+ tickets sold, bottom line surplus)
Cabaret
Yankee Doodle
Grey Gardens

Executive Producer
The World We Create (Public Television Special, 2007 Regional Emmy Award Nominee)

Presenter
Matthew Bourne's Edward Scissorhands (Star Tribune Best of 2007)
Les Miserables (103% capacity)
White Christmas (6 week run 80,000+ tickets)
Monty Python's Spamalot (SRO)
Chicago
Rent
Tea At Five
Golda's Balcony with Valerie Harper
Late Night Catechism
Luke Yankee's Diva Dish
Bebe Neuwirth in concert
Stomp
The Drowsy Chaperone

(Upcoming)
Legally Blonde
The Color Purple

Produced through IPN
The Color Purple (Broadway)
Legally Blonde (Broadway)
Curtains (Broadway)
Matthew Bourne's Edward Scissorhands
Monty Python's Spamalot

Produced through Elephant Eye
Saved (Playwrights Horizons 2008)
The Addams Family (Broadway 2009)

Prior to arriving at Ordway Center, James Rocco was Producing Artistic Director of Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, where he initiated and assisted in a three-year re-organization plan for Lyric's financial recovery and in planning a move to larger and more prominent facility. 
While at Lyric he produced Broadway Sings for the Heartland, the first benefit to support victims of the Oklahoma City bombing. Broadway Sings starred Ed Harris, Sandy Duncan, Ben Vereen and 100 theatre stars from around the country.

From 2000 through 2005 he worked extensively as a free lance consultant to organizations including The University of Central Florida (Dr. Roberta Sloan, Dean) and the US Air Force (Retired General John Brooks.)  He advised in all aspects of long-range planning, budgeting, marketing, producing and shepherded the Air Force extravaganza Born of A Dream, from conception to the Kodak Theatre in LA and later to DVD.

Rocco produced and directed his first show in NYC (a revival of Bob Merrill's Henry, Sweet Henry) at The Lambs Theatre.  He has since worked at the finest venues around the world (e.g. Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Art Sphere Tokyo, Nissay Theatre Tokyo, Nakano Sun Plaza, Theatre du Chatelet, The 5th Avenue, The Houston Grand Opera, The National Theatre) in both theatricals and concerts with the likes of Ed Harris, Roseanne, Eartha Kitt, Mickey Rooney, Barbara Cook, Herbie Hancock, The Duke Ellington Band, Dee Dee Bridgewater and many, many others.

Some additional credits include:  Broadway: The Wizard of Oz (Musical Staging and Choreography), Cats (Playing Rum Tum Tugger); Off-Broadway: Sweeney Todd (Director).   Other directing: London: Doin' What Comes Naturally; Tokyo: Singin' in The Rain; LA: The Melody Lingers On, She Loves Me, Crazy For You (Ovation Award Nominee), Superstar, Chess. Regional: White Christmas, Yankee Doodle (world premiere), What A Glorious Feeling (world premiere), The Bad Seed, As Bees In Honey Drown,  A Little Night Music, Smokey Joe's Cafe (multiple awards) Guys & Dolls (multiple awards), Rocky Horror, On The Town, Violet, and 50 more.  Film & Television: 21 for the 21st, Monsters; Writer: Rock & Roll Christmas, and The Words & Music Series.  Before becoming a full time producer/director he sang with The Duke Ellington Band and Herbie Hancock and can be heard on numerous recordings.

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS & CITATIONS

Broadway League
Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SSDC)
Independent Presenter's Network
National Alliance of Musical Theatre
TCG (Individual)
Actors' Equity Association (AEA)
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)
Screen Actors Guild (SAG)
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA)
Who's Who in America
Outstanding Young Men In America
Key to the City of New Orleans
Certificate of Merit, US Army

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