Elaine Cohen

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT ELAINE COHEN

The saying,\"Good Things Come in Small Packages,\" defines Elaine Cohen Rubin. She first appeared on the stage at the age of 3, singing, dancing, and acting, and by the time she had headed to college, she had performed all the children\'s leads in 12 Broadway musicals at the Starlight Theater in KC. With a BA in Theatre from Northwestern, she won the role Elly in Showboat at the Kennedy Center starring Mickey Rooney and Gladys in Skin of Our Teeth starring Sarah Miles. But because she was only 4\" 11\", she was limited to the roles she could get.Determined to keep performing, she began working as a trade show model. In that role, Elaine observed that entertainment and performers drew audiences on the trade show floor but did nothing to promote or sell the exhibitors\' products. So, seizing an opportunity, she developed a way to educate trade show attendees by fusing marketing and entertainment. Her scripted \"edutainment\" live presentations on the show floor led to the founding of Live Marketing, giving birth to a new kind of trade show marketing,\"LIVE MARKETING.\" In the process, she created a platform so she could continue performing.Live Marketing became a leading global trade show agency, receiving over 750 awards for performances in 42 countries and 12 languages. In addition, Elaine received the Hazel Hayes Award, the industry\'s top honor for lifetime achievement in recognition of her accomplishments.After 42 years, Elaine sold her business and turned her energy to the arts community. She was Board Chair for Chicago Human Rhythm Project for ten years, where she received the JUBA! Award for Extraordinary Service to the Field and inducted into the Founder\'s Circle. You can take tap in the Elaine Cohen Michigan Avenue Tap Studio at the Fine Arts Building.She is on the Northwestern American Music Theatre Project Board, bringing professional playwrights and Northwestern talent to workshop new musicals, hopefully moving to Broadway. She is also on the board of The League of Chicago Theatres,\"Free for All,\" which supports free public programs in the arts, and on The Washington Square Park Advisory Board.She and her husband Arlen have recently sponsored the \"New Faces Sing Broadway \"programs for Porchlight Music Theatre featuring a company of ten up-and-coming new Chicago artists.