CAUSE CELEBRE PRODUCTIONS


	Our Mission Cause Célèbre (CC) unites the creative arts - theatre, film, and television - with meaningful causes and the nonprofit organizations that champion them. Through powerful performances and public engagement, we raise awareness, foster understanding, and educate audiences about vital social justice, psychological, physical, and mental health issues. CC's mission is to illuminate the human experience and amplify voices too often unheard. Discover Cause Célèbre's current and upcoming events and repertory productions, including All the Court's a Stage - a series of plays inspired by civil rights attorney Martin Garbus, written by Susan Charlotte, and directed by Antony Marsellis. Explore the causes, partners, and supporters that drive our work and learn how you can get involved and support us. Who We Are Board of Directors Susan Charlotte Susan Charlotte is the Founding Artistic Director of Cause Célèbre and Food For Thought Productions. An award-winning playwright and screenwriter, Susan has written over 60 plays, including The Shoemaker (starring Danny Aiello), Sublet, Twenty Litres of Petrol, She's of a Certain Age, and Love Divided By - which was adapted into a film with an original score by Philip Glass and reopened MoMA's Titus II Theatre. Her film work includes A Broken Sole, Come On (Hamptons Film Festival), and Something Like That. She has written for CBS (Comedy Zone, Guiding Light) and Lifetime. She has collaborated with Emmy-winning composer Billy Goldenberg and co-written with Peter Stone. Her articles have appeared in Playbill and New York Magazine. She is the author of Creativity and Creativity in Film. She has taught at Columbia University and NYU, served as a judge for the Cable ACE Awards and the Albee Festival and continues to develop new theatrical and film projects. John Donnelly, Esq. John Donnelly is an attorney with decades of experience in corporate, nonprofit, and commercial law. Former General Counsel of the Carey Energy Group, he now advises clients in private practice and serves as director, secretary, and counsel to: Cause Célèbre, The Mabel Mercer Foundation, The Coffee House, The Dutch Treat Club. Nancy Jackman Nancy Jackman was a business executive for over three decades. Her love of theatre and her commitment to a number of causes, including MS and mental health, made her a perfect fit for Cause Celebre Productions, where she became a producer on many of our shows. Louise Lasser Louise Lasser is a celebrated comedic and dramatic actress whose work spans stage, film, and television. She began in New York theater before appearing in Woody Allen's Bananas, Take the Money and Run, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, and Stardust Memories. Her breakthrough came as the title character in the landmark series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, which earned her an Emmy nomination and cemented her as a cultural icon. Her stage and screen credits include Wallace Shawn's Marie and Bruce, A Couple of White Chicks Sitting Around Talking, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Taxi, and films such as Happiness, Requiem for a Dream, and Fast Food, Fast Women. Since 2004, she has also been a vital part of Cause Célèbre and of Food For Thought Productions, appearing in The Hairdresser and Did You Know My Husband?, both directed by Antony Marsellis. Resident Director Antony Marsellis Antony Marsellis is the Resident Director and advisor at Cause Célèbre. He is an accomplished director for film, theatre, and television with over 50 theatrical productions to his credit. He has directed works by Harold Pinter, such as Ashes to Ashes and Night School, along with Samuel Beckett's Happy Days and Krapp's Last Tape. Also he has staged two works by Arthur Miller: A Memory of Two Mondays and The Last Yankee, as well as Athol Fugard's Statements After an Arrest. He has also directed three plays by Tennessee Williams: In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel, Something Unspoken, and The Pretty Trap. Advisory Board Andrew Brozman, Esq., Clifford Chance, Retired Martin Garbus, Esq. Leading First Amendment attorney, Offit Kurman Mary Goetter, International Education Services, LLC Tom Goetter, TAG Partners, LLC Irene Goldstoff, The Goldstoff Group, Retired Susan Herman, Esq. ACLU, President (2008-2021), Centennial Professor of Law, Brooklyn Law School Ken Johnson Wallace Johnson, Educator and Department Chair, Connecticut Department of Higher Education, Retired Phil Kasofsky M.D., ER Physician, Continuum Capital Management Antony Marsellis, Theater and Film Director, Resident Director of Cause Célèbre Productions Sherri Michelstein, M Booth Health, Retired Michael Osgood, Former Deputy Chief, NYPD Special Victims Unit, Consultant for Law and Order: Special Victims Unit Sylvia Steiner, Independent Theater Producer In memory of April Wells who believed in never giving up Supporters Cause Célèbre wishes to thank the following individuals for their generous support Violet Andrew Brozman Deborah and Christopher Buck Mary J. Davis Nancy Jackman Gary Klerman Kathryn McCarthy Anne Rougle Ellen M. Violett and Mary Thomas Foundation Lloyd E. Rigler-Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation The Marcia Rothblum Scholarship Program View our Causes and Partners Back to Top Rose Ann Marie Carr John Downing June Springer Bonnie Strauss James Traynor David and Sylvia Steiner Calla Lily Solveig Andersen Joan Arnhold Maureen Benziger Jodie and Richard Bertholdt Mark and Anla Cheng Oscar De La Renta Jamie De Roy and Friends Charlotte Ford Antoinette Gallo Agnes Gund Becky Kaplan Caroline Kennedy David Lee Claire Lent Fred Pearl Ruth Rosen Clifford Ross Lorna Savage Edwin Schlossberg David Shair Joan Socolof Marilyn Sokol Martha and Buddy Tell John Thorndike Gladys Ullman Rose Ullman Herb and Linda Walker Shelby Willcox The Julie Andrews Foundation The Phyllis and Bennett Cerf Foundation The Kingdon Foundation The Earle I. Mack Foundation Roy R. Neuberger Foundation The Rogers Family Foundation

Our Mission

Cause Célèbre (CC) unites the creative arts - theatre, film, and television - with meaningful causes and the nonprofit organizations that champion them. Through powerful performances and public engagement, we raise awareness, foster understanding, and educate audiences about vital social justice, psychological, physical, and mental health issues. CC's mission is to illuminate the human experience and amplify voices too often unheard.

Discover Cause Célèbre's current and upcoming events and repertory productions, including All the Court's a Stage - a series of plays inspired by civil rights attorney Martin Garbus, written by Susan Charlotte, and directed by Antony Marsellis.

Explore the causes, partners, and supporters that drive our work and learn how you can get involved and support us.

Who We Are

Board of Directors

Susan Charlotte
Susan Charlotte is the Founding Artistic Director of Cause Célèbre and Food For Thought Productions. An award-winning playwright and screenwriter, Susan has written over 60 plays, including The Shoemaker (starring Danny Aiello), Sublet, Twenty Litres of Petrol, She's of a Certain Age, and Love Divided By - which was adapted into a film with an original score by Philip Glass and reopened MoMA's Titus II Theatre.

Her film work includes A Broken Sole, Come On (Hamptons Film Festival), and Something Like That. She has written for CBS (Comedy Zone, Guiding Light) and Lifetime. She has collaborated with Emmy-winning composer Billy Goldenberg and co-written with Peter Stone. Her articles have appeared in Playbill and New York Magazine. She is the author of Creativity and Creativity in Film.

She has taught at Columbia University and NYU, served as a judge for the Cable ACE Awards and the Albee Festival and continues to develop new theatrical and film projects.

John Donnelly, Esq.
John Donnelly is an attorney with decades of experience in corporate, nonprofit, and commercial law. Former General Counsel of the Carey Energy Group, he now advises clients in private practice and serves as director, secretary, and counsel to: Cause Célèbre, The Mabel Mercer Foundation, The Coffee House, The Dutch Treat Club.

Nancy Jackman
Nancy Jackman was a business executive for over three decades. Her love of theatre and her commitment to a number of causes, including MS and mental health, made her a perfect fit for Cause Celebre Productions, where she became a producer on many of our shows.

Louise Lasser
Louise Lasser is a celebrated comedic and dramatic actress whose work spans stage, film, and television. She began in New York theater before appearing in Woody Allen's Bananas, Take the Money and Run, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, and Stardust Memories. Her breakthrough came as the title character in the landmark series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, which earned her an Emmy nomination and cemented her as a cultural icon.

Her stage and screen credits include Wallace Shawn's Marie and Bruce, A Couple of White Chicks Sitting Around Talking, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Taxi, and films such as Happiness, Requiem for a Dream, and Fast Food, Fast Women.

Since 2004, she has also been a vital part of Cause Célèbre and of Food For Thought Productions, appearing in The Hairdresser and Did You Know My Husband?, both directed by Antony Marsellis.

Resident Director

Antony Marsellis

Antony Marsellis is the Resident Director and advisor at Cause Célèbre. He is an accomplished director for film, theatre, and television with over 50 theatrical productions to his credit. He has directed works by Harold Pinter, such as Ashes to Ashes and Night School, along with Samuel Beckett's Happy Days and Krapp's Last Tape. Also he has staged two works by Arthur Miller: A Memory of Two Mondays and The Last Yankee, as well as Athol Fugard's Statements After an Arrest. He has also directed three plays by Tennessee Williams: In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel, Something Unspoken, and The Pretty Trap.

Advisory Board

Andrew Brozman, Esq., Clifford Chance, Retired
Martin Garbus, Esq. Leading First Amendment attorney, Offit Kurman
Mary Goetter, International Education Services, LLC
Tom Goetter, TAG Partners, LLC
Irene Goldstoff, The Goldstoff Group, Retired
Susan Herman, Esq. ACLU, President (2008-2021), Centennial Professor of Law, Brooklyn Law School
Ken Johnson
Wallace Johnson, Educator and Department Chair, Connecticut Department of Higher Education, Retired
Phil Kasofsky M.D., ER Physician, Continuum Capital Management
Antony Marsellis, Theater and Film Director, Resident Director of Cause Célèbre Productions
Sherri Michelstein, M Booth Health, Retired
Michael Osgood, Former Deputy Chief, NYPD Special Victims Unit,
Consultant for Law and Order: Special Victims Unit
Sylvia Steiner, Independent Theater Producer

In memory of April Wells who believed in never giving up

Supporters

Cause Célèbre wishes to thank the following individuals for their generous support

Violet

Andrew Brozman
Deborah and Christopher Buck
Mary J. Davis
Nancy Jackman
Gary Klerman
Kathryn McCarthy
Anne Rougle
Ellen M. Violett and Mary Thomas Foundation
Lloyd E. Rigler-Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation
The Marcia Rothblum Scholarship Program

View our Causes and Partners

Back to Top

Rose

Ann Marie Carr
John Downing
June Springer
Bonnie Strauss
James Traynor
David and Sylvia Steiner

Calla Lily

Solveig Andersen
Joan Arnhold
Maureen Benziger
Jodie and Richard Bertholdt
Mark and Anla Cheng
Oscar De La Renta
Jamie De Roy and Friends
Charlotte Ford
Antoinette Gallo
Agnes Gund
Becky Kaplan
Caroline Kennedy
David Lee
Claire Lent
Fred Pearl
Ruth Rosen
Clifford Ross

Lorna Savage
Edwin Schlossberg
David Shair
Joan Socolof
Marilyn Sokol
Martha and Buddy Tell
John Thorndike
Gladys Ullman
Rose Ullman
Herb and Linda Walker
Shelby Willcox
The Julie Andrews Foundation
The Phyllis and Bennett Cerf Foundation
The Kingdon Foundation
The Earle I. Mack Foundation
Roy R. Neuberger Foundation
The Rogers Family Foundation