"Johanna's greatest strength as a director is the faith she has in an actor's natural instincts and abilities while encouraging and guiding them to the edges of their imagination, allowing for the natural development of a fully explored and fleshed out character. Her presence in the room is commanding, but never intimidating, which makes for a beautifully safe environment for artists to create without judgement - and in moments of doubt, there is nobody more steady at the wheel."
John Cardoza - Actor, Original Broadway Casts of The Notebook and Jagged Little Pill
DIRECTING
I’m often asked what I look for when I’m casting and my immediate answer is always that what interests me most are actors who will bring joy and empathy into the space and will partner with me and others to make something new. Will they enter the space with generosity and openness and will they come to the room ready to be part of an ensemble that works hard in service of fearless creativity? This is also what I look for in collaborators whether that is designers, choreographers, musical, fight and intimacy directors. I have no interest in making art in a vacuum. My favorite work may have begun as an idea or concept in my mind but it is only through the process of true collaboration with creative partners that those sparks were coaxed into the beautiful final products that audiences get to see. It is that magic of bringing together and joining with other artists in the room that makes my work as a director difficult to distill but also so special to experience.
"Johanna's is a star of a human being because she makes being vulnerable and knowledgeable look effortless. Her artistry as a director compliments the humanity of every piece, which curates new and varied colors within the artists around her. Her formidable spirit and leadership continuously inspire me."
LaQuet Sharnell Pringle - Creative Entrepreneur, Founder & Creator of FYA Studios
COACHING
I have worked with actors to prepare for all kinds of auditions including film and TV, seasonal summer stock (like NETC or Straw Hats), Broadway callbacks, agent submissions and so many others. I have also helped many of my clients do monologue and/or song prep for graduate school auditions including choosing appropriate pieces, rehearsing them, learning to properly slate and preparing for interviews. I provide coaching both in person (in a studio) and via zoom with various package options depending on the number of sessions you book. Past students and clients have appeared on streaming, TV and Broadway or in National Tours of Book of Mormon, The Notebook, How To Dance In Ohio, Back To The Future, Jagged Little Pill, Wicked, Lysistrata Jones, Sister Act, The Lion King, American Idiot, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical and Hadestown. She has also helped students gain admission to graduate acting programs including The Denver Center, The Classical Conservatory at George Washington University, University of Iowa, American Conservatory Theatre, The Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University and NYU Tisch.
"Johanna wit and gleeful passion for work never failed to ignite my imagination. I was always excited for what we would discover together in class, and that sense of joyful collaboration never left me. She’s exactly what I was looking for in an educator, and continue to look for in my professional career."
PJ Adzima - Actor (Book of Mormon, Host/Creator of Stage Time NYC)
EDUCATING
Central to my approach to teaching is asking students to “dare to get it wrong.” In my experience so many actors are desperately afraid of making missteps and not being enough. They worry that they will screw up and fail in the classroom and it is this fear that holds them back and slows down their training. It makes them take fewer risks, make smaller choices and do less homework. When they realize that the classroom is a space where missteps are welcome, even to be relished, I believe the result is braver students who will have earlier breakthroughs and be on the road to not being afraid to be fully present onstage.
Alex Taylor - Fight/Intimacy Director and Actor