Person Biography:
JoAnna was born and raised in the steel mill city of Springfield, Massachusetts, where she was the youngest child and only girl among her four brothers. Growing up, she found solace in her imagination, which became her best friend. As a teenager, she explored her creative side by studying music and dance, running track, playing tennis, and watching movies.
At the age of 11, JoAnna was deeply moved by Cicely Tyson's performance in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. This experience sparked her passion for the arts, which would later inspire her to become a co-founder of the Commonwealth Theatre Alliance in Springfield with her mentor, Clinton King, Jr.
The outreach program provided dance and acting classes to inner-city youths, and their performances included musicals such as Purlie Victorious and dramas like Arthur Kopit's Chamber Music.
After moving to Boston, JoAnna began her professional acting career by appearing in local theatre projects, commercials, instructional films, and TV shows. Some of her notable performances include For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide, When the Rainbow is Enuf with Marla Blakey, Speaking Out of Character: Women in Theatre with Estelle Parsons, and Hamlet with Tina Packer.
In New York City, JoAnna's career continued to soar with appearances on The Cosby Show and in plays such as The Tempest, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and To Be Young, Gifted and Black. She also starred in Hurt Village by Katori Hall, The Bluest Eye, Crumbs From the Table of Joy, Our Town, From the Mississippi Delta, and The Odyssey by Derek Walcott.
In addition to her acting career, JoAnna is a freelance acting coach and mentor to young women hoping to achieve their life's goals. She is also the founder of JJ Films LLC, which produced the film Feeding Pigeons in 2010.
JoAnna is a lifetime member of The Actors Studio / New York and New York Women In Film and Television-NYWIFT (2006-Present).
