Joe has been an Ohio Shakespeare Festival company member as an actor and carpenter for 8 years. With the addition of the Greystone theatre, OSF is finally able to make many of the “maybe someday” dreams of its company members a reality.

For Joe, that dream was to provide educational outreach in the form of Shakespeare productions and workshops for students. He believes strongly that ShakesFEAR sets in when students are first exposed to Shakespeare in English class, sitting and reading Will’s scripts as novels.  Imagine your favorite film or TV show and the joy you experience watching it.  Now imagine yourself sitting quietly and reading the screenplay.  Is there any chance that would be nearly as engaging?  Probably not. It’s no different with these plays.  Shakespeare’s text was never meant to be read–it was meant to be experienced live.  Joe is passionate about bringing live, exciting Shakespeare into schools across Ohio.

As education coordinator, Joe is responsible for reaching out to educators and schools, letting them know the kinds of programs we offer, and putting together a package that works best for each school’s needs. Joe also performs in the Student Matinee Series and teaches one of workshops.

As associate producer, Joe acts as head carpenter, building sets and props as needed. Apart from the Student Matinee Series workshops, Joe also teaches some of the resident Weekend Workshops, most recently a two-day physical comedy workshop focusing on the classical commedia dell’arte traditions.

Joe is beyond thrilled to have such an active role in the exciting new programming OSF is now able to produce.