About Joy

The Leslie Knope of Theater

Joy grew up in the small city of Stockton, California, where she trained in dance at Stockton Ballet School, and studied Speech Level Singing out of the Bay Area. Her first trip to New York was at the age of 12 where she saw her first Broadway show, 42nd Street. She did High School Theater, as well as Community Theater, where at 18 she played her first real role as Peggy Sawyer in, you guessed it,  42nd Street.

Joy attended the University of the Pacific, receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Theater Arts with an acting emphasis, with high honors. At Pacific, Joy was a two-time Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) Irene Ryan Acting scholarship nominee and regional semifinalist. She received the Theater Arts Department’s William Wolak Award for Playwriting, as well as the Outstanding Senior Award. Joy then attended the Boston Conservatory, receiving her Masters of Fine Arts in Musical Theater, where her graduate thesis cabaret performance, Technicolor, was devised and performed. She studied under Tony Award nominee, Maureen Brennan, and was chosen to workshop with Broadway songwriting team, Richard Maltby and David Shire on their own material from the musical Baby. Joy also trained as an apprentice at the Livermore Shakespeare Festival, as well as studying Musical Theater at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.

As an AEA performer, Joy’s career has spanned theaters from the East Coast to the West Coast, her work ranging from the comedic to the dramatic; from Shakespeare to musicals. She has been described as a “chameleon” in the industry. She was acclaimed for her complex and unique take on the role of Mrs. Lovett in Moonbox Productions’ Sweeney Todd, and for two seasons, Joy played the role of Belle, as a member of North Shore Music Theater’s historic production of A Christmas Carol in the round. Her performance as Fraulein Kost in Boston’s Moonbox Productions’  Cabaret earned her an Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Award nomination. Joy is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. As a theater educator, Joy has taught all ages, from Kindergarteners to college students. In the New York City public school system, Joy taught movement and dance, and for multiple years, Joy has taught musical theater production, audition technique, and song interpretation at Musical Theater Camps including those at CMT San Jose, Reagle Music Theater, and Wheelock Family Theater. Joy currently is an Assistant Professor at Berklee College of Music teaching Musical Theatre Dance and directing and choreographing the school’s Musical Theatre New Works Ensemble. She teaches on the Musical Theatre Dance Professional Preparation to Musical Theatre BFA seniors at Emerson College, as well as teaching multiple sections of Introduction to Theatre at the prestigious Boston College. Joy teaches masterclasses from coast to coast: Recent masterclasses include a Fosse/Hamilton Musical Theater Dance workshop for dance company members and dance teachers at her childhood dance studio, Stockton Ballet School. Joy and her partner, Ryan Mardesich, privately coach song and monologue interpretation, and give both lectures on audition technique, and theater as a business across the country. As a director/choreographer, Joy stages for young people’s productions and professional theaters alike. Recent productions include a Brechtian production of Sweeney Todd, the immersive club experience The Dunster Club, young people’s productions of Head over Heels and Pippin, and the world premier of ERLKING.

Causes for Joy.

Joy is passionate about more than just theatre. Here are some links to learn more about these causes, and to donate if you are able.