James A. Rocco
Director
Producer
Vocalist
"A POWERHOUSE OF TALENT"
CBS News
FIVE DECADES OF MUSIC, THEATRE AND LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
DIRECTING
James A. Rocco is an award-winning director, producer, and vocalist whose career spans more than five decades in theatre, music, and live entertainment. With over 200 productions to his credit, he is known for staging dynamic, audience-driven work that blends theatrical storytelling with music and popular culture.
"TERRIFIC"
The New York Times
"TOP DRAWER"
The Chicago Tribune
"A MASTER SHOWMAN"
The Star Tribune
DIRECTING
Rocco has directed productions throughout the United States and internationally, including acclaimed stagings of 33 Variations (BroadwayWorld – Best Regional Production of the Decade), Grey Gardens, Chess, She Loves Me, Violet, South Pacific, A Little Night Music, Guys & Dolls, On the Town, Pirates of Penzance, and the world premiere musical Yankee Doodle Dandy. His re-imagined stage production of Singin’ in the Rain has been seen by audiences around the world.
His directing career has also extended into film and television. Rocco served as Executive Producer and Co-Director of the Regional Emmy-nominated documentary The World We Create and directed the television musical Born of a Dream. For Mitsubishi/ArtSphere he created the stage and television spectacular Galaxy Express 999.
"EXCELLENT"
The Los Angeles Times
PERFORMING
Rocco’s performing career began early. At three years old he appeared as the youngest member of the Art Linkletter Totten Tots, later performing in Oliver! with Ray Walston and Jules Munshin, and Carousel with John Raitt. On Broadway he appeared as The Rum Tum Tugger in CATS and toured nationally as Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar. He also holds the distinction of being the first man to play The Witch in Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods.
As a vocalist, Rocco has toured internationally with Herbie Hancock and has headlined concerts at many of the world’s most respected venues, including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, and the acclaimed Crooners Supper Club in Minnesota.
Rocco’s recording career began as a teenager at Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles. His single “And the Night Stood Still” reached the Top 20 on the FMQB charts, and his recent release “Party Night” has attracted more than 300,000 views online, reflecting continued audience interest in his work as a vocalist and recording artist.
From 2005–2017, Rocco served as Producing Artistic Director of The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in Saint Paul, Minnesota. During his tenure he presented major Broadway tours including August: Osage County, An American in Paris, Kinky Boots, and Les Misérables, while also producing and directing award-winning productions such as In the Heights, Cabaret, West Side Story, and Love, Janis. As the Ordway’s representative to The Broadway Leagueand the Independent Producer’s Network, he participated as a producing partner and investor in Broadway productions including Fun Home, Legally Blonde, The Color Purple, and Monty Python’s Spamalot.
Rocco is the founder and CEO of Thirty Saints Productions, a creative company developing original theatrical works, concert programs, and new musical projects. Through the company he created the acclaimed Songbook Series, a concert program celebrating the music that shaped American popular culture. Thirty Saints also consults on music licensing and theatrical development for new musicals and jukebox productions.
In addition to his producing work, Rocco collaborated with Broadway Asia to tour Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat® in Tokyo and led the artistic team for the U.S. Air Force’s 9/11 tribute film There Are No Words, viewed by millions worldwide.
A longtime member of NAMT (National Alliance for Musical Theatre), he served on the organization’s New Works Committee and commissioned the holiday musical A Country Christmas Carol.
In 2019, Rocco was honored by The Broadway League and the Coalition of Broadway Unions and Guilds at the annual Broadway Salutes ceremony for “30 years of dedication, craft, and contribution to the theatre.”