Dana McCoy

It was over when she saw her first Broadway production at the age of ten.

After studying ballet at North CarolinaSchool of the Arts, doing summer stock at the Merry Go Round Playhouse in Auburn, NY, then studying music, film, and theater performance with scholarships to Boston Conservatory, Berklee and NYU, Dana McCoy gigged everywhere from CBGB’s to The Ritz to Lincoln Center, toured US, UK and Europe topping the charts with hits performed by Inner City, Degrees of Motion, Left Field, and herself, at which point she composed, produced and performed a solo CD, “Taking Shape,” selected by Billboard as one of the year’s best albums.  

McCoy’s work on stage continued with her original rock musical “Prom Queens” workshopped at the Westbeth with Arnold Englemen, and Don Hill’s famed rock club, after which she went on to perform regularly at Joe McGinty’s infamous Loser’s Lounge sharing the stage with celebrities from Fred Armisen to Justin Vivian Bond, was a staple in New York’s Ukulele Cabaret and as founder and host of Life Cafe’s NAKED Music Series which provided over 300 gigs for musicians in NYC from first timers to Grammy winners.

McCoy worked with Gretchen Cryer, Evelyn Page, and Lesley Gore as founder, producer, and performer in “Pillow Fight Theatre Festival: Hot Chicks of Substance“ at 45 Bleecker in 2007; wrote, performed, and produced her rock musical “Cube Rat“ at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2011; and originated the starring role of Ingrid in Richard Caliban’s “MoM: A Rock Concert Musical,”   winner of Outstanding Musical at New York International Fringe Festival, also selected as part of the Fringe Benefits Anniversary Series in 2011.

Dana enjoyed helping run 45 Bleecker Theatre during it’s brief 3 year run after and before it was the Culture Project. While there she witnessed and often took part of the development of new comedy work by luminaries such as Russell Brand, Jerry Seinfeld, Colin Quinn, Eddie Izzard, Mike Birbiglia, Marc Maron, and many many more.

McCoy co-produced the “OurLand Festival” with Joe Hurley for Lincoln Center Out Of Doors during summer 2012, which took place on three stages, over eight hours, with 20,000+ audience members, and for which she performed the finale of the Irish Rock Review on the main stage with members of Alice Cooper, Blue Oyster Cult, NY Dolls, and more. McCoy joined Hurley again co-producing and performing in “A Dickens Christmas for The Rockaways” in December of 2012, a celebrity-studded benefit at Theatre 80 St. Mark’s, for the Hurricane Sandy-damaged Rockaways. This featured Mary Norris from the New Yorker, Alphie McCourt of the McCourt brothers, Lucinda Dickens (direct descendent of Charles), a host of critically acclaimed musicians, actors, and writers.

2013 found Dana gleefully singing and dancing as a lead in Zoe Lewis’s Original Musical, Across The Pond, directed by A Chorus Line’s Donna Drake. 

Since returning from directing and acting in 2 plays produced by CTek Arts at the Dublin Gay Theatre Festival 2014, McCoy produced and performed a developmental run of her Original Rock Musical, Prom Queens to thrilled audiences at the Crown & Anchor’s Paramount Club in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

Currently McCoy teaches voice and method acting at TVI Studios and privately, writes songs, two of which are out now in Eric Schaeffer‘s award winning film “Boy Meets Girl” .

Meanwhile, and as usual, Ms. McCoy is quietly plotting and scheming upcoming adventures. More will be revealed…

THEATER

• “Prom Queens,” Writer/Director/Performer/Producer – Original rock musical in development
• “A Shining Attribute”  by Candace Rusk – Director, International Women’s Theatre Festival [Fall 2013]
• “A Shining Attribute” by Candace Rusk – Director, Dublin Gay/Lesbian Festival [May 2014]
• “What To Throw Out” by Kathleen Warnock, Lead Actor, Provincetown Playwright’s Festival [Fall 2013]
• “What To Throw Out” by Kathleen Warnock, Lead Actor, Dublin Gay/Lesbian Festival [May 2014]
• “Ibis The Wayward Whale, An Original Musical Tale”, Writer/Director/Performer [Summer 2013]
• “Cube Rat” – Writer/Performer/Producer, Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Off-broadway [2011]
• “MoM: A Rock Concert Musical,” (Lead Cast Member/CoProducer) written by Richard Caliban, winner of Outstanding Musical at New York Fringe 2009 and selected as part of the Fringe Benefits Anniversary Series [2011], The Almost Annual Festival, [April 2013]
• “Loser’s Lounge” Performed with Fred Amisen, Justin Bond, and Seveda Williams
• Ukulele Cabaret at Jimmy’s 43, Member/Performer
• NAKED Acoustic Music Series, Founder, at Mudspot and Life Cafe, every Monday night for three years
• “Pillow Fight Theatre Festival: Hot Chicks of Substance,” Founder/Producer/Performer at 45 Bleecker, with Gretchen Cryer, Evelyn Page, and Lesley Gore [2009]

FILM – songs/scoring:

• Boy Meets Girl – Eric Schaeffer film out now on Netflix/Amazon
• City Of Industry – Harvey Keitel, Stephen Dorff, Timothy Hutton
• Please Don’t Feed The Animals – Steve Leeper
• Gone – Matt Herron, Miles Per Hour
• Holy Crap I Can Talk To Plants, Matt Herron, Miles Per Hour

MUSIC

• “Halelujiah” and “Fire”, Kevin Saunderson’s Inner City (Writer)
• “How Would You Like It?” by Dana McCoy/Andrew Komis (Vocals)
• “Degrees of Motion” by Ric Wake (Wrote 2 songs, Lead Vocals)
• “Taking Shape” (Solo Record; writer, singer, producer, performer)
• “Kiss Goodbye” for City of Industry OST (Writer, singer, producer)
• “Crime Pays” for The Search for One-Eyed Jimmy OST (Writer, singer, producer)
• Wrote and sang tracks with Mark Saunders
• Sang background for Taylor Barton with Jon Carin and G.E. Smith
• Wrote songs with Michael Mangini of “Who Let The Dogs Out?” fame
• Wrote tracks for Commercial Clients from MTV to Sachs and Bryant Park Fashion Shows

PRODUCTION / DIRECTION

• Prom Queens, An Original Rock Musical – Developmental Run at the Crown & Anchor, Provincetown, [Summer, 2014]
• Ibis The Wayward Whale – Director, Composer, Children’s play for Whale Week, Produced by the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies [Summer 2013]
• “OurLand Festival” Co-Producer and Performer,[Summer 2012] three-stage, eight-hour, 20,000+ audience at Lincoln Center
• “A Dickens Christmas for The Rockaways” Co-Producer and Performer, [December 2012]
• Theatre 80 St. Mark’s Production Director [2010 – 2013]
• 45 Bleecker Theatre Production Director [2006 – 2010]