3Arts Make a Wave Award

It is an honor to be a recipient of a 3Arts Make A Wave Award for 2021.

This award is made through 3Arts but by an another artist in the community who is a former recipient of a 3Arts Award. I’m honored to be chosen by another artist in the Chicago community for my work here!

Here is my 3Arts page!

From their press release:

“3Arts, the Chicago-based nonprofit grantmaking organization, will award Chicago artists with nearly $1 million in unrestricted cash grants during the 14th annual 3Arts Awards, taking place virtually on Monday, November 1, 2021, live on YouTube. The virtual event is free to the public and features three world premiere performances by past 3Arts awardees. Registration is required at 3arts.org/event. 

 Since 2007, 3Arts has supported more than 1,200 artists—representing 70% women artists, 67% artists of color, and 14% Deaf and disabled artists—and distributed $4.5 million in grants and services. On November 1, 3Arts will be awarding 134 artists including:

  • Ten 3Arts Awards recipients who will receive $30,000 in cash grants.

  • 121 artists selected by past 3Arts awardees will receive $4,000 each in unrestricted grants, through a major one-time expansion to Make a Wave—3Arts’ artist-to-artist grant program—with support from Make a Wave Presenting Partner The Joyce Foundation, sending a bigger “wave” than ever through Chicago’s cultural core.

  • Recipients of the second annual 3Arts Next Level/Spare Room Award—a $50,000 unrestricted cash award given to three women visual artists who are past awardees.

These announcements—together with $230,000 in emergency relief grants given to 3Arts artists in 2021—make this the largest award year in 3Arts history.”

Associate Artistic Director of Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park

Press Release:

We are pleased to announce that Joanie Schultz, a national arts leader and director of theatre and opera, will join the Playhouse as our new associate artistic director starting full-time in late November! In this role, she will collaborate with producing artistic director Blake Robison to fulfill the Playhouse’s mission, oversee the day-to-day operations of the artistic department, lead the Playhouse’s new play development work, help conduct season planning, direct mainstage productions, and represent the theatre locally and nationally.

“Joanie brings talent, creativity and strong leadership skills to the Playhouse,” states Blake Robison. “She’s a nationally renowned arts leader, and I’m thrilled to welcome her to Cincinnati! We are entering a period of tremendous growth as we emerge from the pandemic and open our new facility to the community. Joanie will help us chart a path forward that is artistically ambitious, inclusive and forward-thinking.”

Joanie previously served as artistic director of WaterTower Theatre in Dallas-Fort Worth, where she oversaw two years of diverse and award-winning work in 2017 and 2018. From 2014-16, she served as associate artistic producer at Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago as part of the Leadership U One-on-One Fellowship, which is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and administered by Theatre Communications Group (TCG).

She has directed throughout Chicago and the nation including The Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, The Cleveland Play House, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Kansas City Repertory Theatre and Studio Theatre in Washington, DC.

Her notable directing work has included directing the smash hit and immersive production of Hand to God (Studio Theatre & WaterTower Theatre); her own new adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House (WaterTower Theatre); the world premiere of Frida…A Self Portrait (Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Portland Center Stage); the world premieres of Sarah Gubbins’ Cocked (Victory Gardens Theater,) fml: how Carson McCullers saved my life (Steppenwolf Theatre,) and The Kid Thing (About Face Theatre/Chicago Dramatists); the critically lauded The Whale and Rest by Samuel D. Hunter (Victory Gardens Theater); the Jeff Award winning productions of In Arabia We’d All be Kings and The Brief History of Helen of Troy (Steep Theatre); site-specific performances of the operas Acis and Galatea (Chicago Cultural Center) and Bluebeard’s Castle (New Millennium Orchestra). She also co-created and directed a 6-hour theatrical adaptation of Wagner’s Ring Cycle (The Building Stage).

Joanie holds an MFA in directing from Northwestern University and a BA in directing from Columbia College Chicago. She was a Drama League Fellow; The Goodman Theatre's Michael Maggio Directing Fellow; the SDCF Denham Fellow; a Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab participant; and was Co-Artistic Curator for Theater on the Lake (2013). She was co-Artistic Director of Estrogen Fest; Associate Artistic Director of The Building Stage; and co-Founder/Artistic Director of Flush Puppy Productions.

She is an ensemble member at Steep Theatre; artistic associate at Victory Gardens; and an artistic cabinet member at Studio Theatre in DC. She was also on the theater faculty of Columbia College Chicago and the University of Chicago, the opera faculty of Roosevelt University and Northwestern University; and taught for the School at Steppenwolf, the Audition Studio, Steep Theatre, WaterTower Theatre and Italian Operatic Experience.

Welcome, Joanie!

Collaborations of Merritt

This year, I collaborated with Chelsea M. Warren and the folks at the Michael Merritt Committee to create an opportunity for directors and designers to collaborate on projects with some deadlines, and present them virtually online and to artistic directors throughout the midwest. We called it Collaborations of Merritt.

I also worked with some of my favorite collaborators on a project myself! Alice and Wonderland, the opera, composed by Unsuk Chin with a libretto by David Henry Hwang. Check it out!

Reviews for 2.5 MINUTE RIDE at Studio Theatre!

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I really loved creating this virtual production of 2.5 Minute Ride at Studio Theatre. It’s been a high point of this crazy time.

Reviews:

“Without a doubt, this production is one of the most successful adaptations to the virtual theatre space that this reviewer has encountered over the past year. It goes beyond just a filmed version of a live play and embraces this New Medium in a truly moving way.” -Broadway World

I'm Teaching an Online Class!

I’m teaching a class through Steep Theater, and I think it’s going to be really great.
Deadline to apply is July 31.

Find out more here!

EVERYTHING BUT REHEARSAL:
A WORKSHOP IN DIRECTOR PREPARATION

A substantial amount of a director's work is done during the time before rehearsal begins, yet what a director does in this period can be mysterious because much of it is done alone. This online workshop is for directors to expand their toolbox of techniques and exercise their skills in director preparation. Each participant will bring a play to prepare for the six-week workshop. During weekly Zoom sessions, we will read about and try different preparation methods and practice moments with guest professionals such as pitching a play, first meeting with designers, and first rehearsal in a supportive setting to learn and develop skills.

Topics
Week 1: Following your first instincts. Beginning of Text Analysis
Week 2: Text analysis continued. Dramaturgical Research and Images.
Week 3: Pitching Plays to an Artistic Director or company.
Week 4: Collaborating with Designers
Week 5: Casting!
Week 6: Presentations for first rehearsal.

Stay-at-Home Streaming Theatre UPDATE JULY 2020

As I said in my last post, THERE IS SO MUCH STREAMING THEATER RIGHT NOW.
A lot of it has shifted since I last posted in late-April, so I thought I’d get some resources together.

There’s obviously Hamilton on Disney+, but I don’t need to tell you that.

TimeOut is doing an updated list every week of what to watch now. They are the best place to keep on the up and up I think.

My suggestion: find a comfortable space in a dark room, and use headphones.

Here's my list of things to watch NOW, and to keep an eye on in the world of watching theater from around the world. I'll try to keep it updated, and also welcome suggestions!!

You know what I really like watching online? Dance. If you like theater, you might like dance!

Also, a wonderful theater maker and former student of mine has put together this page that has some of these things plus far far more. It’s basically an entire theater education through watching these plays. It’s a much more exhaustive list of productions, I think I’ll keep this list a little smaller and more manageable, but if you want to get deep into the resources of streaming on the internet… Travis is there for you.

Quarantine Free Theater Streaming

JULY 5: I hadn’t updated in a while, but finally did update in another post. So much of this isn’t true anymore!

THERE IS SO MUCH INTERESTING FREE THEATRE TO WATCH ONLINE RIGHT NOW.
It's a Smorgasbord for theater nerds.

My suggestion: find a comfortable space in a dark room, and use headphones.

Here's my list of things to watch, and to keep an eye on in the world of watching theater from around the world. I'll try to keep it updated, and also welcome suggestions!!

Also, a wonderful theater maker and former student of mine has put together this page that has some of these things plus far far more. It’s basically an entire theater education through watching these plays. It’s a much more exhaustive list of productions, I think I’ll keep this list a little smaller and more manageable, but if you want to get deep into the resources of streaming on the internet… Travis is there for you.

The Critics Dig A DOLL'S HOUSE PART 2 at the Jungle Theater!

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We have opened our little skit in chilly Minneapolis, and the critics came out even in a snowstorm to see the fine work of these actors and designers who are an all-star team from the Twin Cities. It was a true pleasure to direct in in the lovely jewel-box of a stage at the Jungle Theater.

Here are some nice things that were written about our show:

“…the cast is exceptional and Schultz has calibrated the play so it feels like every moment takes us deeper into the fascinating puzzle Torvald spells out when he wails, ‘Being with people, does it have to be so hard?’” -Chris Hewitt, Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“This 2017 script has quickly become one of the most-produced plays in the country, and in Schultz’s compelling production it’s easy to see why. The premise provides a natural hook, and Hnath’s crucial insight is that Ibsen’s play ended just when the conversation was starting to get interesting. It’s frankly thrilling to watch some of Minnesota’s finest actors continue that conversation; the superb ensemble crackles with high-wire energy.” -Jay Gabler, City Pages

“The direction by Joanie Schultz makes the story feel modern and cinematic, while still feeling that it takes place at the end of the 19th century.” -Laura Kulum, Twin Cities Stages

“The direction by Joanie Schultz is bold. There are music and projection choices that scream 2020, but they work, without taking us out of the period of the play…The Jungle Theater has assembled a cast that brings depth and humor to this play, each actor finding their characters’ truth and convincing us of it as well. This is a night out that will keep you thinking and give you much to talk about after you leave the theater, but it will do it while also making you laugh, a lot!” -The Stages of MN

“Director Joanie Schultz is Chicago based but has cast a dream team of four Twin Cities actors who know each other well. Nora's needs drive the plot, and she's onstage without a break, so it's great to have the brilliant and beautiful Christina Baldwin in the role: she gives Nora zest, confidence, and heart, despite the ways in which her actions impact others. She and Schultz have made some interesting choices: for instance, some moments into the action, they break the fourth wall and have Nora address the audience directly with the line "We know it's sad," referring to the frequent waste of human potential in marriage.” -Karen Bovard, Broadwayworld.com

Fantastic Reviews for A SMALL FIRE at Philadelphia Theatre Company!

We are open! I couldn’t be more proud of A SMALL FIRE at Philadelphia Theatre Company.

Bebe Neuwirth in A SMALL FIRE photo by Mark Garvin

Bebe Neuwirth in A SMALL FIRE photo by Mark Garvin

Here’s a couple of nice things other people said about the show!

“Director Joanie Schultz’s staging of the 85-minute Adam Bock play is nuanced and fiercely naturalistic. But the work itself toggles uneasily between the world of realism and some darkly fantastical realm, leaving audiences (much like the people in the afflicted woman’s orbit) unsure just how to react…But above all, under Schultz’s direction, it is a master class in acting.”
-Philadelphia Inquirer

“Under Joanie Schultz’s fluid, detailed direction, the entire cast create a moving portrait of life in upheaval.”
-Broad Street Reviews

“Joanie Schultz’s direction centers on masterful and delicate performances by Neuwirth and Dossett. The play takes a while to build steam but leads to a stunning climax and denouement.”
-60 Second Review, phindie.com

Joanie Receives a Special Citation from DFW Theatre Critics Forum

Thank you to the DFW Critics Forum for their recognition of my time at WaterTower Theatre with a Special Citation. It means more to me than I could possibly say--my time in DFW was a little bit of everything, and I'm endlessly grateful for it. And to be named among these inspirational female leaders in DFW theatre is an honor.


"To Joanie Schultz for her brief but significant contributions during her tenure as artistic director of WaterTower Theatre (December 2016–December 2018), including championing female directors, playwrights of color, and other inclusive initiatives; encouraging new works; and reinvigorating the DFW theater scene."

http://www.theaterjones.com/ntx/features/20190910170255/2019-09-11/We-Like-You-We-Really-Like-You?fbclid=IwAR1WIjo9mvO0Hl-UC9nx_OVzpAhUoJULoRqUUjLLnugFcl7I_YrgbtUVCVs

Coming this Fall: Joanie directs Bebe Neuwirth in A SMALL FIRE!

This fall, I will be directing A SMALL FIRE by Adam Bock and featuring Bebe Neuwirth at Philadelphia Theatre Company!

I’m so grateful for the opportunity to direct this beautiful play, which I directed at Steep Theatre in 2014, with such an esteemed actor, whose work I’ve admired for as long as I can remember. I’m also grateful to finally work with Artistic Director Paige Price, who is an incredible leader.

Read more on the Philadelphia Theatre Company website!

Glowing Reviews for FRIDA...A SELF PORTRAIT at KC Rep!!

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The World Premiere of FRIDA…A SELF PORTRAIT is open at Kansas City Repertory Theatre! This unique play written and performed by Vanessa Severo is so beautiful and unique, I couldn’t be more proud of the work!

“…the essence of Severo’s play isn’t easy to encapsulate. But that doesn’t mean the work is abstruse. It means Severo has attempted a level of sophisticated storytelling we seldom see from playwrights in Kansas City or anywhere else.” -Robert Trussell, KC Studio

“This Frida is a colorful and imaginative composition of pop-out scenes that flow one to the other. Taken in as a whole, this truly original work is a deeply affecting drama that leaves an ineradicable imprint.” -Deborah Hirsch, The Pitch

KC Applauds

University News

Broadway World

Also, this review in The Journal of Performance as Research is an incredible, in depth, description of the piece.

Reviews are in for CRY IT OUT at Studio Theatre!

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“The up-to-the-minute script is a tidy fit for Studio, where director Joanie Schultz handles the shifts of tone as adroitly as she did two years ago with Robert Askins’s far darker comedy ‘Hand to God.’” -Nelson Pressley, Washington Post

“Watching and enjoying Cry It Out is keenly connecting—not least because the direction (by Joanie Schultz) and the four actors in this production are stellar.” -DC Metro Theatre Arts

“The playwright is skilled at seamlessly transitioning from the fun and lighthearted moments to the serious ones and each actor is equipped with the skill to play them just as seamlessly under Joanie Schultz's intelligent direction.” -Broadway World

Another review at DC Metro Theatre Arts

Reviews for Joanie's new adaptation of A DOLL'S HOUSE

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I took on writing my own 90-minute adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s A DOLL’S HOUSE in 2018, which premiered at WaterTower Theatre. I couldn’t be more proud of this fast-paced adaptation. And the critics liked it too!

New 'Doll's House' adaptation shows how a woman's struggle to be heard is still achingly relevant, Dallas Morning News
”Nora may dress in an old-fashioned bustle, but Kate Paulsen's riveting performance as a woman scrambling on the inside to make everything perfect on the outside, etches an achingly contemporary journey in this 90-minute intermissionless production.” -Nancy Churnin

BWW Review: A DOLL'S HOUSE Comes Alive at WaterTower Theatre, Broadwayworld.com

“WaterTower offers a sophisticated and enlightening modernization. Director and adapter Joanie Schultz modernizes the language and keeps the design firmly rooted in history. The choice to adapt does not hide a lack of understanding on Schultz's part - it in fact shows a true depth of understanding and familiarity with the text. It certainly does not disguise an insufficient budget; elaborate and historically correct fashions created by Melissa Panzarello and Amy Poe, in conjunction with a marvelous set designed by Chelsea M. Warren, convincingly portray the wealth of the late 17th century family at the heart of the drama. And if Schultz feared the audience might not understand? Rather than putting a band aid on that fear with some flashy modern props, she digs into the root of the misunderstanding, the translation from old Norwegian into modern English.” -JoJo Stein

Little Boxes: At WaterTower Theatre, Joanie Schultz's Ibsen adaptation is A Doll's House for our time.

“Schultz’ adaptation is a very effective tweak of the original—particularly in a short, vital addition at the end. And Ibsen’s story is respected: it’s all here, with almost no plot points lost along the way. The play’s longest face-to-face conversations are pared down without sounding rushed (though a couple of Nora’s brief, agitated soliloquies might have remained). And the light-handed update of language isn’t jarring, but makes several lines land with greater force, as if the #MeToo movement were bumping up against the 19th-century rulebook:
Torvald: No man would sacrifice his honor.
Nora [after a pause, and a long, steady look]: It’s a thing millions of women do every day.

Schultz isn’t trying to cut through the period style of Ibsen’s work—but to let us see past the flowing skirts and high collars, to experience just why and how this play shocked late-19th-century audiences with its blunt realism.” -Jan Farrington