I believe that education in stage directing should be accessible to everyone regardless of age, level of experience, geography, social location, or economic status. For too long, directing has been considered an elite art-form and any training has been limited to the privileged. This has restricted not only who is directing on stages from community theater to Broadway, but it also has made space for people with no education or coaching to take on this great responsibility—sometimes to the detriment of those they are leading. It is my mission to find ways to offer directing education far and wide in a variety of ways: group settings, one-one-one coaching, online courses, and more; to reach the widest variety of directors from the aspiring artists, to educators, to community theater directors, to professionals in the field who want to deepen their process.
I currently teach classes, workshops, and masterclasses in person and online on a regular basis, including my online workshop “Everything But Rehearsal,” (SUMMER 2024!) a class in directing preparation. This class explores the director’s process leading up to rehearsal and students may repeat the class with different plays to explore their process. I am working on developing more online courses and will update as I do.
I also serve as a private coach for directors, working one-one-one through the process of preparing for rehearsal and being a sounding board during the process. I am even available to watch and share feedback on productions at any stage of rehearsal.
And, I have created a process journal for stage directors, with guided prompts for every stage of directing a play! It is available on amazon.com.
As an educator, I have taught directing at Columbia College Chicago, University of Chicago, Steep Theatre, WaterTower Theatre, and beyond.
I have also taught acting in theater, musical theater, and opera at universities including Northwestern University, Columbia College Chicago, University of Chicago and Roosevelt University. I have also taught at the School at Steppenwolf, WaterTower Theater, Chicago Opera Theater, the Ryan Opera Center, the Bay View Music Festival, and Italian Operatic Experience. I am available for private acting coaching and audition prep on a limited basis.
If you’re interested in directing courses or private sessions, please reach out. We can work in-person or virtually.
“‘Everything But Rehearsal’ was a great class to take online for a number of reasons. Being given an opportunity to pitch a play, to talk to designers about ideas, to create my first day of rehearsal speech felt like such a gift to be able to practice! Joanie is such a welcoming, supportive artist and her knowledge and feedback in this class (as well as guests she brought in) was a bright light during the pandemic. There are so few directing classes available in the industry and it was wonderful to meet a cohort of directors from a variety of places and experience levels.”
“After Joanie’s class I was felt so prepared going into pitch meetings, talking with designers, and I had a deeper insight and love for the play I was working on.
It’s hard to get real-time experience as a director outside of grad school or being hired. Joanie’s class was the perfect playground for me to let my imagination soar and to stretch myself as a creative without worrying about the final product. I chose to work on a play I was about to direct and this class gave me an incredible launchpad to start my rehearsal process with. I would take this same class again in a heartbeat. If you are a new director, experienced director, or interested in learning about directing- TAKE THIS CLASS. It’s a great way to fall in love with theatre again.”
Joanie presenting at a workshop for women in the arts in Dallas, TX, 2018.
“Everything but Rehearsal was a wonderful opportunity for both experienced and novice directors to strengthen and hone the pre-rehearsal process. I left feeling confident and excited for my next project!”
“Joanie’s knowledge of contemporary world theatre is unsurpassed, and studying directing with her is an invaluable way to sharpen your theatrical thinking and gain an opportunity to take a deep-dive into prospective projects and directorial cunning. I had a chance to direct the play I analyzed in her class after the fact, and my understanding and perspective of the text was transformationally more mature than it would have been had I not spent time with the show under her tutelage. Her class is an excellent start to getting a passion-project off the ground.”
“I thought I had a deep understanding of the play when I pitched it for class, but there was still so much more to uncover. I was proud of how specific, clear, and comprehensive my point of view had become over the six weeks. Having a template to follow for doing the work and peers to commune with along the way was such a gift.
I felt seen, challenged, and encouraged.”
Let me know if you’re interested in working with me: