Today we’d like to introduce you to Joanne Zipay.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Basic Bio:
Joanne Zipay is a director, dramaturg, teacher, actor, speaker, and writer, who has worked in the industry for over 40 years, and is currently on the Theatre Department faculty at Collin College in Plano.
Ms. Zipay is best known as the founder and Artistic Director of Judith Shakespeare Company NYC—the groundbreaking and award-winning women-forward theatre company which she founded in 1995 and where she served as Artistic Director and Producer for 20 years.
She has also taught acting and directed theatre productions for a wide variety of programs and theatres across the country including Pace University, Stella Adler Conservatory/NYU, City College of New York, Dallas Theatre Center, Richmond VA Shakespeare Festival, Old Globe Theatre, National Shakespeare Conservatory, Princeton NJ Repertory Shakespeare, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Theatre for a New Audience, Children’s Shakespeare Theatre, SUNY Orange, and numerous other colleges and universities.
She directed the Off-Broadway premiere of Elizabeth Rex by Timothy Findley for Nicu’s Spoon Theatre in 2008, as well as over 20 NYC productions with Judith Shakespeare Company between 1995 and 2015. Ms. Zipay holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the classical acting training program at the Old Globe Theatre/University of San Diego, and has studied with such eminent master teachers as Stella Adler, Larry Moss, John Barton, Richard Easton, Cicely Berry, Patsy Rodenburg, and Gail Cronauer.
She has co-authored a book on Shakespeare, and her words and work are also featured in several books on directing in America. In 2022, she directed the regional premiere of George Brant’s Into the Breeches! at Stage West in Fort Worth.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
For many years, like many people, I was struggling, as a single working parent, pursuing theatre and teaching work to stay afloat. I’m originally from New York, but had lived in Dallas in the 80s for quite some time, and once my daughter finished college and was on her own, I made the decision to relocate to the Dallas area once again for its rich theatrical environment and to reconnect with a number of colleagues and friends here. I had a lengthy association with Collin College in Plano, having come down from NY for nearly 20 summers to teach Shakespeare acting classes and direct productions. After my move, an opening in the Theatre Department occurred and I was hired to teach full time. This was my first full time position anywhere, after five decades of freelance, self-employed, adjunct, and part-time work. I’ve been very lucky to always be able to work in my field, and teaching at Collin College is the perfect place for me to be right now – I really enjoy my work, my colleagues, and my students.
A year or two ago, a Continuing Ed student in one of my classes convinced me to teach acting classes for professionals outside the college, and “Acting with Technique – contemporary and classical” was born. This student had told me something I’d heard from other actors around town – classes and teachers came and went, but there wasn’t any solid ongoing technique class in town.
Over the years, I’ve known and worked with Lisa Haram at 1106 Lupo Studios, and so I reached out immediately to see if she could accommodate my class. The space is a perfect environment for the class, centrally located, and Lisa makes everyone feel at home.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
After many years as an actor, then a theatre founder and producer with Judith Shakespeare Company NYC, I’ve found my way back to teaching – my first love from way back in my undergrad days, when I got my BA in Education through SUNY. I’m still extremely passionate about classical theatre, which I trained in at the Old Globe MFA program in San Diego, and I direct a classical show at Collin College each season. My Acting 1 class there focuses on Chekhov and my Acting 2 class focuses on Shakespeare, and I also teach Script Analysis and Voice for the Actor – so all of these experiences find their way into my teaching work – including some time spent studying with the great method acting goddess, Stella Adler in NYC.
This class is a perfect opportunity for me to work with with actors from all over the area who want to reconnect with the techniques of acting that are the fundamentals of the work we do. I incorporate movement work, voice work, imagination and sensory work, as well as script analysis into the class structure. Each class begins with a warmup and group exercises, and then students put up their monologues or scenes for coaching. Any kind of material is welcome, and I can help students select material for auditions as well. The class is set up to give each group of individuals whatever they need in their work at that very moment in time.
Lisa and I keep the class affordable and the schedule consistent. Actors will always know where and when to find the class – the first three Saturdays of each month at 1106 Lupo. Actors can join for those three classes a month at any time to brush up material for auditions – or continue to attend month after month, as many of my students do, building skills, technique, and confidence in a positive ensemble environment. The class is open to all levels of experience – beginner to advanced.
In collaboration with 1106 Lupo Studios, we’ve started trying out an idea for a script reading series on “Fifth Saturdays.” Stay tuned for more info!
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I traveled to Greece two years ago and got to speak on the Greek amphitheatre stage at Epidaurus. It was amazing.
I still go on auditions as an actor here in Dallas, where I got my start in the 80s, acting with young companies that are now established and well known, such as Pegasus, Pocket Sandwich Theatre, and Dallas Children’s Theatre. I once toured Texas playing a pig in the Three Little Pigs.
When I founded Judith Shakespeare Company NYC in 1995, I was an actor fresh out of grad school – but with the company, I morphed very quickly into an Artistic Director, Producer, Director, Teacher, and Dramaturg.
I also enjoy working as a Dramaturg – basically, a research specialist for any show I’m working on. As a Dramaturg, I also help develop new shows, and as a Shakespeare Dramaturg I also coach actors on verse and voice into the bargain!
My words and work appear in several books; I co-authored the book “Come You Spirits! – The Supernatural World of Shakespeare;” and I give talks on Shakespeare, his wife Anne Hathaway, and other subjects.
I taught college-level Communications and Public Speaking classes for a while in NY, and worked at an Upstate NY historic site as a tour docent and creator of living history programs.
I taught kids for many years, and still enjoy doing that when I get the chance.
I waited tables for 15 years in Dallas and NYC. Other things I did to pay the rent: loaded trucks, posed as a mermaid, did pizza taste tests, worked as a saloon girl for a special event at a big local ranch, worked in photo research and pre-digital slide show creation.
My daughter is in the film business and lives in Brooklyn. We’re very close.
I love to take photographs.
I love silent film comedies – especially Buster Keaton – and Warner Brothers cartoons with Bugs Bunny and friends!
Pricing:
- $125 for “Acting With Technique – contemporary and classical” at 1106 Lupo Studios – first three Saturdays of each month, 10am-1pm
- Private Coaching fees available via 1106 Lupo
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.1106lupo.com/book-online
Image Credit:
Valentine Randolph
