Meet Edward Carignan | Producing Artistic Director, Short North Stage

We had the good fortune of connecting with Edward Carignan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Edward, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I have always found that taking responsible risks can pay off. Being a former actor/director in NYC, I learned quickly how much you have to put yourself out there to be successful. The few times where roads diverged and I had to make a choice about something major- listening to my intuition has always guided me in the right direction.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My career lead me down many paths, as an actor, then a scenic and costume designer and now a director/choreographer. Each path proved to be useful in my current position collaborating with people in all of those areas on a daily basis at Short North Stage. Being an artist is never easy, but I believe if you say “YES” to things that challenge and maybe even scare you, you are destined to grow.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When I have a friend or family member in town, I make sure that they get a full sense of the city I live in. Being a transplant from NYC, all of this was new to me 10 years ago and watching this town grow has been a beautiful experience. I love to hang out in the Short North where I live. Breakfast at Northstar, Lunch at Brassica and dinner at Marcella’s or 1187 Sushi Restaurant. Afterwards, drinks at Union and Axis and then downtown for late night pizza at Slammers. During the day, I’d make sure they get a full tour of my beautiful workplace- The Historic Garden Theater and we would absolutely have to catch a performance of whatever we are producing at that time. I’d also make sure they saw COSI, Franklinton, German Village (Schmits!) Campus and all of the other amazing art institutions in this town.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to shoutout to Short North Stage’s founders, Rick Gore and Peter Yockel for having enough faith in me to elect me the first Artistic Director at Short North Stage. It has been an incredibly enriching experience to lead this great company for almost 10 years. I owe so much to our founders, the board and the amazing community of artists that have made all this possible.

Website: ShortNorthStage.org

Instagram: edwardcarignan

Facebook: /ecarignan

Image Credits
Headshot Credit: Kyle Brace