The Team
James Rocco
Rocco's theatrical career started at three years old as the youngest member of the (Art) Linkletter Totten Tots! He appeared in Oliver! with Ray Walston and Jules Munschin; Carousel as Enoch Snow Jr, with John Raitt; and as Sheppard in Sidney Lumet & David Merrick's thriller, Child's Play. James produced his first show in New York at 16 (Henry, Sweet Henry, at the Mercer Arts Center and the Lamb Theatre). As a performer, he appeared in the original Broadway production of Cats (ironically stepping in for Terrance Mann as the Rum Tum Tugger, while Terry appeared in the film version of A CHORUS LINE). In addition, Rocco was seen in the International and TV Ashai Productions of Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies, sang back up for Frank Sinatra, and was the lead singer for Herbie Hancock and the Super Sounds.
His freelance work as a director/choreographer includes award-winning productions of 33 Variations, Grey Gardens, Yankee Doodle Dandy (World Premiere), Sweeney Todd, The Wizard of Oz, Chess, She Loves Me, Violet, South Pacific, White Christmas, As Bees in Honey Drown, A Little Night Music, Songs For A New World, In The Heights, Damn Yankees, Pirates of Penzance, Guys & Dolls, On the Town, A Christmas Story, Jesus Christ Superstar and many more from classic repertoire to world premieres.
He co-founded Thirty Saints Productions, which created The Broadway Songbook® Series. Together with Broadway Asia, Thirty Saints toured Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat® to Tokyo and led the artistic team for the US Air Force's 9/11 tribute video, There Are No Words, seen by millions of viewers on 9/11/2016. Thirty Saints is an investor in Come from Away's current Broadway, National Tour, and Toronto productions.
From 2005-to 2017, Rocco was the VP of Programming and Producing Artistic Director at Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. In 2019, he was recognized by The Broadway League and The Coalition of Broadway Unions and Guilds for 30 years of dedication, craft, and contribution to the theater.
Currently a member of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, he serves on the Alliance's New Works committee. Rocco commissioned the holiday musical A Country Christmas Carol and was part of the creative teams behind the off-Broadway cult hits Nite Club Confidential and Streakin'! In addition, his re-visioned stage production of Singin' in the Rain has been seen around the world.
Renee Prola
Graduated from The University of St. Thomas with a double major in accounting and speech-communication. She was immediately hired by the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts as an accountant. She remembers the day she interviewed; the first touring production of "Rent" was playing; campers had circled the building for rush tickets. Prola was hired the next day. It turned out to be a perfect fit. Her job evolved into a company management position, working with all of the Ordway's internal departments on both the financial and people sides of theater – covering just about everything it takes to put on and maintain a show.
Since she has worked as either Company Manager or Associate producer with Thirty Saints Productions and The Ordway on In The Heights, West Side Story, Irving Berlin's White Christmas, A Chorus Line, The Sound of Music (2007 & 2015),The Pirates of Penzance, Damn Yankees, A Christmas Story: the Musical, Broadway Songbook: The First 100 Years of Broadway (tour), Broadway Songbook Series (2011-2017), Ordway Summer Dance, Flint Hills International Children's Festival, Cinderella, TCTA For Japan Benefit, Joseph . . . Dreamcoat, Heart for Haiti Benefit, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Singin' in the Rain, Grey Gardens, Yankee Doodle, Cabaret, Blues in the Night, The Rocky Horror Show, Love Janis, and many other special events.
