Joe is a producer, director, composer and actor. He originally trained at the University of Nottingham in Law and Politics, before working in criminal law and then retraining at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Initially working as an actor in both national tours and west end productions, he then began to direct a variety of projects, composing and directing the music for several. In 2008 He was a founding partner of GRIT Productions with Jon Bonfiglio, before it merged with Mokita Productions earlier last year to become MokitaGrit, for which he is an Artistic Director and Creative Producer. He has gone on to direct several large scale productions, including the sell out critically acclaimed production of A Christmas Carol at The Kings Head in 2008 and 2009.

In 2008 he was awarded the highly competitive and prestigious Society of London Theatres Stage One New Producer’s Bursary for the original conception of Pages at The Pacific Playhouse. This was developed further with SOLT’s support in Pages: Promised Land, which he conceived, directed and composed the score for, at The Union Theatre in 2009.

He has been part of the award winning creative team behind the Scoop Open Air Season since its’ conception in 2003 and is now an Associate Manager with The Steam Industry.

DIRECTING

Directing credits include Da (The International Playwriting Festival 2010, Croydon Warehouse) A Christmas Carol (The Kings Head 2009, London Best Play 2010 London Awards for Art and Performance); Pages: Promised Land (The Union Theatre); The Trappe Family and The Dig (The International Playwriting Festival 2009, Croydon Warehouse); A Christmas Carol (The Kings Head 2008); Songs For A New World (Upstairs at The Gatehouse); the world premier of the play Nocturn in The Church of the Most Holy Redeemer (Exmouth Market); Riverside Carols and A Night Before Christmas (both The Scoop, Southbank); Fortunes & Friends (The Kings Head); Pages at the Pacific Playhouse, which was a highly innovative piece, combining plays from 4 new writers and songs from 3 composers into one through line show (for which he won a Stage One New Producers Award 2008 to produce the follow up).

Joe was an Associate Director on Once Upon A Time at the Adelphi at the Liverpool Playhouse (also The Union Theatre 2010 production), which won the T.M.A Award for Best Musical and was nominated for the WhatsOnStage Best Regional Award. Joe was also an Associate Director for the 2006 season at the Scoop, which won the Peter Brooke Award for Up and Coming Theatre, a season for which Joe was also a composer (The Caucasion Chalk Circle) and musical director. Other Associate Directing credits include the Brisitsh Premieres of Sherlock Holmes and Petite Rouge (both Arts Ed).

Other composing/assistant director/musical director credits with the Steam Industry, at The Scoop Open Air Theatre on the Southbank in London, are all productions of their seven consecutive summer seasons - Medea, Blood Wedding, Petite Rouge, The Jungle Book, Helen of Troy, The Caucasion Chalk Circle, Cyclops, Treasure Island, Children of Hercules,  Agamemnon,  Androcles and The Lion , Oedipus. He was also the musical director for the workshop production of Petite Rouge at Arts Ed College, where he taught on a freelance basis.

PRODUCING

Once Upon A Time at The Adelphi (The Union Theatre); The Recognition of Sakuntala (The Union Theatre); Songs For A New World (Associate Producer, Upstairs at The Gatehouse); Saturday Night (Associate Producer, The Arts Theatre); Pages:Promised Land (The Union Theatre); A Christmas Carol (Kings Head 2008); Pages (The Pacific Playhouse); Human Remains (Canal Café Theatre); The Breathing Zone (Tabard Theatre, Lost One Act Festival); Frida Khalo: Viva La Vida (Associate Producer - Theatre 503 and Universal Arts Theatre in Edinburgh), Pluto (The Blue Elephant Theatre); Safe (Hen and Chickens Theatre).

ACTING

Joe trained as an actor at Mountview Acadmey of Theatre Arts having previously trained and worked as a criminal lawyer. In 2008 Joe appeared as Kevin Cartwright in Peter Nichols’ play Privates on Parade at the Birmingham Rep and West Yorkshire Playhouse, directed by Ian Brown. His West End debut was the role of Jerry Allison in the long running musical Buddy. This was the first of several roles in which Joe was required to play one or more of the four musical instruments which he plays (clarinet, saxophone, drums and piano). Joe took one of the title roles in the West End Production of Blood Brothers, playing Eddie Lyons in the multi award winning musical by Willy Russell. Also in the West End, Joe reprised his role of Nigel in the critically acclaimed Blowing Whistles at The Sound Theatre (originally at The Croydon Warehouse)

Other theatre credits include Little Shop of Horrors (Birmingham Rep); Around The World in 80 Days (Liverpool Playhouse, Guilford, Richmond); Ben in The Dumb Waiter (Allplay); Creeping Wally in Sleeping Beauty (Salisbury Playhouse); Jason in Medea and Jason & The Argonauts, Simon in The Caucasion Chalk Cirlce, Captain Smollett in Treasure Island, Demophon in Children of Hercules, The Watchman in Agamemnon, Secutor in Androcles and The Lion and Citizen in Oedipus (all at The Scoop Theatre, The Southbank); Bob Crass in In The Red (The Elgiva); Billy Turner in Extreme Corners and Ray in Clocked (The International Playwriting Festival 2005 and 2007); Ben in Goodbye Is A Four Letter Word (The Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch); The MC in Fosse, Kenickie in Grease and Buttons in Cinderella (all CMC Productions); Inner City Jam (National Tour); Maitre-D in Noel Coward at the Café de Paris (The Wallnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia).

Joe played the part of Rhys in Eastenders for the BBC and other TV credits include Liam Roberts in Wire in the Blood. Film credits include Paul in the feature film Paris Skylight; other lead parts in short films include Jeremy in Love Story (Brighton Film Festival and Trigger Street Festival finalist) Heart of Westend (LFA), Two’s Company, The Circle and The Journey

CORPORATE

In order to mix his corporate and theatrical backgrounds, Joe also has nearly ten years of experience as a training facilitator and roleplayer for over 50 blue chip companies and government agencies. These include The BBC, BAA, JP Morgan, Royal Bank of Scotland, The Home Office, O2, The Department of Constitutional Affairs, Abbey National, BAE Systems, The General Medical Council, Nationwide, The FCO, Lovells, Barclays, American Express and Vauxhall.