David Cote (writer)
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David Cote (born December 22, 1969) is an American writer.


Early years

Cote was born and adopted in
Gilmanton, New Hampshire Gilmanton is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,945 at the 2020 census. Gilmanton includes the villages of Gilmanton Corners and Gilmanton Ironworks. The town became well known in the 1950s after it was ...
.


Education

After kindergarten and middle school, Cote attended Gilford High School (GHS), graduating in 1988. At Gilford, he acted in drama club productions such as ''
West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...
'', '' Up the Down Staircase'' and ''
Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...
''. He edited GHS's newspaper and its literary journal. He attended
Bard College Bard College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains within the Hudson River Historic District ...
, graduating in 1992 with a
B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...
in Drama/Dance. While at Bard, he also studied early modern English literature, concentrating on Shakespeare's ''Henriad'' (''
Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward, Prince of Wales (later known as the Black Prince), and Joan, Countess of Kent. R ...
'', '' Henry IV Parts 1'' and 2 and ''
Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1216–1281 ...
''). Among his stage roles at Bard were Boris in Maxim Gorky's '' Children of the Sun''; Len in Harold Pinter's ''The Dwarfs''; Sganarelle in Molière's ''
Dom Juan ''Dom Juan ou le Festin de Pierre'' ("Don Juan or The Feast of Stone") is a five-act 1665 comedy by Molière based upon the Spanish legend of Don Juan, Don Juan Tenorio. The aristocrat Dom Juan is a Rake (stock character), rake who seduces, marri ...
''; Simon Bliss in Noël Coward's ''
Hay Fever Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of rhinitis, inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. It is classified as a Allergy, type I hypersensitivity re ...
''; and Second Lieutenant Ralph Clark in Timberlake Wertenbaker's '' Our Country's Good''. In addition to acting, Cote studied voice, directing, and 20th-century drama. He wrote dramatic scenes and poetry as well as academic papers.


Acting in New York City

After graduation, Cote moved to New York, where he joined Purgatorio Ink Theater, the company of his former Bard professor, Assurbanipal Babilla. With Babilla and Purgatorio, Cote acted in several plays at notable
Off-Off-Broadway Off-off-Broadway theaters are smaller New York City theaters than Broadway theatre, Broadway and off-Broadway theaters, and usually have fewer than 100 seats. The off-off-Broadway movement began in 1958 as part of a response to perceived commerc ...
venues: ''The Rise and Fall of H. M. Dick'' at P.S. 122; ''Suddenly Something Recklessly Gay or Cirque de Ca-Ca'' and ''All About Jeez or The Sacred Squirt'', both at La MaMa E.T.C.; ''Homo Americanus'' at Bouwerie Lane Theatre; ''The Sisters Karamazov'' at One Dream Theatre; and ''Othello and the Circumcisèd Turk'' at the
Vineyard Theatre The Vineyard Theatre is a 120-seat Off-Broadway non-profit theatre company, located at 108 East 15th Street in Manhattan, New York City, near Union Square. Founded in 1981 by Barbara Zinn Krieger, the Vineyard states that its goal is "to give ...
. All productions were written, designed and directed by Babilla. In 1998, Cote directed Babilla in his monologue, ''Something Something Über Alles (Das Jackpot)'' at the Emerging Collector on Second Avenue. The production ran for three months. It took part in the
New York International Fringe Festival The New York International Fringe Festival, or FringeNYC, was a fringe theater festival and one of the largest multi-arts events in North America. It took place over the course of a few weeks in October, spread on more than 20 stages across se ...
and had a limited run at the Kraine Theater in early 1999. Throughout this period, Cote acted in work by various writers and directors associated with
Richard Foreman Richard Foreman (born Edward L. Friedman; June 10, 1937 – January 4, 2025) was an American avant-garde experimental playwright and the founder of the Ontological-Hysteric Theater. Though highly original and singular, his work was influenced by ...
's Ontological Hysteric Theater, housed in St. Marks Church. He worked with writer-directors such as Robert Cucuzza (''Be Emphatic!''), DJ Mendel (''Tom, Dick & Harry''), Anne DeMare, Judy Elkan and others. In 1997, Cote played a Large Male Dwarf in Foreman's ''Pearls for Pigs''. The production opened at
Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
Stage and toured France, Italy, Los Angeles, Portland, Dartmouth and New York City. In 1999, he appeared in Richard Maxwell's ''Cowboys & Indians'' at
Soho Rep The Soho Repertory Theatre, known as Soho Rep,The official website'now use "Soho", with a lowercase h, as do most articles from th''New York Times''/ref> is an American Off-Broadway theater company based in New York City which is notable for pro ...
and Cucuzza's ''Speed Freaks'' at the Ontological. Cucuzza later filmed ''Speed Freaks'', and Cote reprised his role as dim-witted drug chef Karl.


Career in arts journalism

In 1996, Cote co-founded and edited ''OFF'', a journal for alternative theater with actor and graphics designer Jenny Woodward. This free 'zine dedicated to experimental, off-off theater was distributed to theaters mostly below 14th Street. It continued until 1998. In 1998/99, Cote edited ''EdgeNY'', a free indie magazine also devoted to off-off theater. From 1999 to 2000, he worked as theater editor at the national arts listings site CultureFinder.com. In August 2000, Cote became staff theater writer at ''
Time Out New York ''Time Out'' is a global magazine published by Time Out Group. ''Time Out'' started as a London-only publication in 1968 and has expanded its editorial recommendations to 333 cities in 59 countries worldwide. In 2012, the London edition became ...
''. He wrote reviews, listings, previews and other reporting for the weekly magazine. In 2003, he became theater editor and chief drama critic. He reviewed a wide range of plays, musicals and experimental pieces from
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...
to Off-Off-Broadway. Cote left ''Time Out'' in April 2017. To date, he is the longest-serving theater editor and chief drama critic of the magazine. As a critic and reporter, he freelances for ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
'', ''What Should We Do?'', ''IN New York'' and other places. Over the years, his reporting and reviews have appeared in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', '' American Theatre'', ''
Opera News ''Opera News'' was an American classical music magazine. It was published from 1936 to 2023 by the Metropolitan Opera Guild—a non-profit organization, located at Lincoln Center, that was founded to promote opera and support the Metropolitan ...
'', ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' (UK), ''
Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...
'' and elsewhere. In 2004, he began as a regular contributing critic on NY1's weekend theater program, ''On Stage''.


Career as playwright and opera librettist

After more than a decade of acting and journalism, Cote decided to branch into more creative writing areas, namely, plays and
opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
libretti A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major l ...
. Since 2007, he has been writing on commission for various theater and opera companies. His world premieres to date include three operas, a
song cycle A song cycle () is a group, or cycle (music), cycle, of individually complete Art song, songs designed to be performed in sequence, as a unit.Susan Youens, ''Grove online'' The songs are either for solo voice or an ensemble, or rarely a combinat ...
, and a
monodrama A monodrama is a theatrical or operatic piece played by a single actor or singer, usually portraying one character. In opera In opera, a monodrama was originally a melodrama with one role such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau's '' Pygmalion'', which w ...
. In addition, his plays and other libretti have had numerous readings and workshops.


Personal life

In 2011, Cote married Katherine Kellgren, the audiobook narrator and winner of 13
Audie Award The Audie Awards (, rhymes with "gaudy"; abbreviated from ''audiobook''), or simply the Audies, are awards for achievement in spoken word, particularly audiobook narration and audiodrama performance, published in the United States of America. They ...
s, including four for Best Female Narrator. They lived in Manhattan until Kellgren died at age 48 in 2018.


Selected awards and recognition

Cote's work has been generously supported by the MAP Fund and the Anna Sosenko Assist Trust. In 2009 he won a fellowship to the
MacDowell Colony MacDowell is an artist's residency program in Peterborough, New Hampshire. The program was founded in 1907 by composer Edward MacDowell and his wife, pianist and philanthropist Marian MacDowell. Prior to July 2020, it was known as the MacDo ...
. His plays and operas have been commissioned, developed or produced by
Gingold Theatrical Group Gingold Theatrical Group, often abbreviated as GTG, is a New York-based non-profit theatre company. It was founded in 2006 by American actor and director David Staller. Its mission is to present works that carry the humanitarian values of writer ...
,
HERE Here may refer to: Music * ''Here'' (Adrian Belew album), 1994 * ''Here'' (Alicia Keys album), 2016 * ''Here'' (Cal Tjader album), 1979 * ''Here'' (Edward Sharpe album), 2012 * ''Here'' (Idina Menzel album), 2004 * ''Here'' (Merzbow album), ...
,
Beth Morrison Beth Morrison is an American producer of contemporary opera. Morrison is known for her collaborations with many artists through her company Beth Morrison Projects includes composers David T. Little, Missy Mazzoli, Du Yun, Paola Prestini, Kamala Sa ...
Projects, Second Movement, Fort Worth Opera,
Chicago Opera Theater The Chicago Opera Theater (COT) is an American opera company based in Chicago, Illinois. COT is a resident company at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Chicago's Millennium Park and is currently in residence at the newly renovated Stude ...
, Cincinnati Opera, American Opera Projects, American Modern Ensemble, Austin Chamber Ensemble, Nashville Opera and others.


Theater books

Cote has written three books about the making of hit Broadway
musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...
. They are ''
Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * ''Wicked'' (Maguire novel), a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', a 1997 novel series collaboration between Australian children's authors Paul Jennings and Morris ...
: The Grimmerie'' (2005); ''
Jersey Boys ''Jersey Boys'' is a jukebox musical with a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. It is presented in a documentary-style format that dramatizes the formation, success and breakup of the 1960s rock 'n' roll group The Four Seasons. The mus ...
'' (2007); and '' Spring Awakening: In the Flesh'' (2008)."''Spring Awakening: In the Flesh'' Companion Book Hits Stores"
by Adam Hetrick, ''
Playbill ''Playbill'' is an American monthly magazine for Audience, theatergoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most copies of ''Playbill'' are printed for particular productions and distributed at the door as the ...
'', September 4, 2008


Essays for ''Best Plays Yearbook''

Cote has written essays for the ''Best Plays Yearbook'' series on '' Shining City'' by
Conor McPherson Conor McPherson (born 6 August 1971) is an Irish playwright, screenwriter and director of stage and film. In recognition of his contribution to world theatre, McPherson was awarded an honorary doctorate of literature in June 2013 by University C ...
, '' Blackbird'' by David Harrower and ''The Receptionist'' by Adam Bock.


Theatrical works


Plays

* ''Otherland'' * ''Fear of Art''


Opera libretti

* '' Blind Injustice'' (music by Scott Davenport Richards) * ''Fade'' (music by Stefan Weisman) * ''Robeson'' (music by Scott Davenport Richards) * ''The Scarlet Ibis'' (music by Stefan Weisman) * ''Three Way'', three one-act operas (music by Robert Paterson)


Song cycles

* ''In Real Life'' (music by Robert Paterson)


Texts for chorus

* ''Did You Hear?'' (music by Robert Paterson) * ''Snow Day'' (music by Robert Paterson)


Other lyrical work

* ''Invitation to a Die-In'' (baritone and orchestra) (music by
Nkeiru Okoye Nkeiru Okoye (born July 18, 1972) is an American composer and musician. She has composed many works based on American history, including ''Harriet Tubman: When I Crossed That Line to Freedom, Invitation to a Die-In'' and "The Journey of Phillis W ...
)


Notes


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cote, David 1969 births American opera librettists American theater critics Bard College alumni Living people People from Gilmanton, New Hampshire Writers from New Hampshire 20th-century American writers 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American writers 21st-century American male writers