Playwright · Musical Bookwriter · Lyricist · Opera Librettist · Screenwriter
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Mission
My job as a playwright is to entertain, educate and emotionally challenge the audience. Each work is a call to action, whether it be to storm the barricades, seek acceptance, or merely to love.
Upcoming events
THE MOUNT
Edith Wharton's historic home in Lenox, Mass,
presents:
Wharton Revisited Lecture Series:
Joan Ross Sorkin/The Reef: A New Opera
July 31, 2024
5:00-6:00pm
Stable Auditorium
Adult Tickets: $20.00
https://www.edithwharton.org/event/joan-ross-sorkin-the-reef-opera/
latest news
Berkshire Opera Festival
presents:
A Workshop Performance
of
The Reef
(Act I of the opera)
Music by Anthony Davis
Libretto by Joan Ross Sorkin
Conducted by Geoffrey Larson
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2024 @ 7 PM
MERKIN HALL AT KAUFMAN MUSIC CENTER
129 West 67th Street, NYC
Tickets:
https://www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org/mch/event/anthony-davis-joan-ross-sorkins-the-reef/
For more info (including The Mount Book Club event):
https://www.berkshireoperafestival.org/thereef
Adapted from Edith Wharton’s novel and reset on a sugar plantation in Martinique, 1911, The Reef is the tragic love story between an American widow and a diplomat, defeated by the strict conventions of society that breed intolerance based on race and class.
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When no choice is the only choice…
The York Theatre Company
as part of its Development Reading Series
presents:
An Industry Reading
of
Bordello, The Musical
Music by Emiliano Messiez
Lyrics by Barbara Bellman
Book by Barbara Bellman & Joan Ross Sorkin
Musical Direction & Vocal Arrangements by Steven Gross
Directed by Will Pomerantz
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2024 @ 3 PM
FRIDAY, MARCH 1 @ 1 PM
Theatre Row
410 W. 42nd St. (Theatre 3), NY
Featuring:
Dana Aber • Ellie Biron • Emily Brockway
Harrison Bryan •Alison Cimmet • Cicily Daniels
Ryan Duncan • Jamie LaVerdiere • Jillian Louis
Omar Lopez-Cepero • Benjamin Magnuson • Samantha Massell
Shereen Pimentel • Cheryl Stern • Pablo Torres • Eric Van Tielen
By invitation only
Set in Buenos Aires in 1920, Bordello is the never-been-told-before story of one brave woman who risks everything to bring a notorious sex-trafficking ring to justice. With a musical palette that includes tango and klezmer, the musical is inspired by historical events surrounding Raquel Liberman, a Polish immigrant who was forced into prostitution and is now considered a folk hero in Argentina.
Something’s rotten in the borough of Brooklyn…
A READING
of
HAMLET IN BENSONHURST
By Joan Ross Sorkin
A reimagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, set in a Jewish family
in Brooklyn in 1969 in the shadow of the Vietnam War
MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2023 @ 7:30PM
Featuring:
Will DeVary • Ginger Grace • Tim Jerome
John McGowan • Carole Monferdini • Mikey Marmann
Rita Neidich • Allison Sheff • Niko Touros
Scarsdale Public Library
54 Olmstead Rd., Scarsdale, NY
North South Meeting Room
Admission is free, but reservations are required
sorkinbw@aol.com
Send name, number of tickets and email address
Confirmation will follow
Talk-back follows reading
NEW PRODUCTION:
(mis)UNDERSTANDING MAMMY:
The Hattie McDaniel Story
By Joan Ross Sorkin
Starring Tina Fabrique
Directed by Seret Scott
The Schoolhouse Theater
3 Owens Road
Croton Falls, NY 10519
July 14 - 30, 2023
The play explores the controversial life of Hattie McDaniel and her attempt to vindicate herself in the face of the NAACP'S unrelenting "Campaign against Mammyism" in Hollywood in the 1930s and 40s. Lurking beneath the surface of this campaign is the growing tension between light-skinned and dark-skinned Blacks within the burgeoning film industry. It is not just Hattie's story; it is America's story.
For more info, about the show, click on (mis)Understanding Mammy under “Plays” on the website above.
ANNOUNCING
THE WORLD PREMIERE OF:
DANDELION
A New Family Musical
Book and Lyrics by Joan Ross Sorkin
Music by Mary Liz McNamara
Based on the book Dandelion by Don Freeman
Directed by Jill Zarcone
Playhouse on Park
244 Park Road
West Hartford, CT 06119
April 25 - May 14, 2023
The musical is the story of Dandelion, a shy, awkward lion who decides to reinvent himself when he is invited to Jennifer Giraffe’s impromptu party, but ultimately learns it's better just to be yourself. Additional themes include bullying and social exclusion. Most suitable for ages 5-11, but a show the whole family can enjoy!
For more info, about the show and music links, click on Dandelion tab under "Musicals" on the website above.