PLAYWRIGHT

 “McDaniels’s remarkable life, career and controversy are examined in the fascinating new play by Joan Ross Sorkin.”

BroadwayWorld.com (Jena Tesse Fox)

MUSICAL BOOKWRITER

 “…a nearly perfect pastry of a show…

that rare achievement, matched only by the likes of Shrek or Aladdin.”

The New York Times (Rob Kendt)

LYRICIST

 “Go Green! is totally delightful.

Janet Wikler

 

“…a winsome book, witty lyrics…”

Alan Sperling

OPERA LIBRETTIST

 “…Ms Sorkin’s libretto tells the story in abundane detail with subtly poetic, often rhymed lines…

The New York Times (Anthony Tommasini)

My Works

Hover and click over the pictures below to browse by genre and discover my works in musicals, operas, plays, and more—crafted for the stage, the voice, and the heart.

“Sorkin’s script accomplishes the remarkable feat of conveying history without being didactic.

The story remains interesting throughout, and Sorkin peppers the reminiscences with little jokes here and there to keep things from getting too heavy, in what is of course a serious situation.”

NYTheatre.com, Review of (mis)UNDERSTANDING MAMMY: The Hattie McDaniel Story

Welcome

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 and recent engagements

Commissioned by The Margaret Walker Center

Jackson State University

JUBILEE CONCERTS

Yale University, New Haven, CT
Thurs., May 28, 2026 at 7:30pm

The Dome – Yale Schwarzman Center
Tickets are free but registration required

 

Jackson State U., Jackson, Miss.
Sun., June 14, 2026 at 4pm

F.D. Hall Music Center Recital Hall
Tickets are free but registration required

I am thrilled to have been the recipient of the 2025 York Theatre Founders; Award at the Oscar Hammerstein gala on Nov. 10, 2025, where the iconic Broadway director Jerry Zaks received the OH Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre. Enjoy a few pics from the evening.

Photo Credit: Shawn Salley Photography

“Masterful work…”

Classical Voice of North Carolina (Ken Hoover)

 

 

“…a stunner…delivering everything that we expect of modern opera…”

Front Row Center, “Theatre in the Triangle” (Alan Hall)