I studied playwriting at Northwestern University, where I won the Agnes Nixon Playwriting Award for my first play. My plays have since been developed and produced in Chicago, New York, San Diego, and my home base of Seattle. In Seattle my work has been seen at Macha Theater Works, FringeACT, Washington Ensemble Theatre, Mirror Stage Company, Live Girls, the Mae West Fest, 14/48, and Seattle Dramatists. I have taught playwriting at Seattle’s ACT, in San Diego at La Jolla Playhouse and the Old Globe Theatre, and Seattle Pacific University. I am currently Resident Playwright at Seattle Public Theater.
You can find more info on some of my plays at New Play Exchange.
Most recently:
Edmonds Heights Performing Arts new play workshop
I was thrilled to participate in a new play workshop of my stage adaptation of Enter the Body with Edmonds Heights Performing Arts in July of 2024.
Led by young, enthusiastic Juliet—who is sick of wrenching that dagger out of her chest night after night—they begin to share their stories with one another. They start with comedic, speed-throughs of Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet, and King Lear. Lavinia from Titus Andronicus is there, too, but they aren’t sure what her story is, as she is physically unable to tell them.
The girls begin to question their stories and how things might have been different if they’d been given more agency. They pull other women from the Trap Room into their retellings, and the cast is scalable from a minimum of 12 to any size and gender makeup, with at least 30 distinct roles, and opportunities for stage combat and dancing.
I am currently pursuing publication of the stage adaptation so it will be available to license, but if your high school or theater company is interested in producing the script before that, feel free to reach out to me at joymcculloughbooks@gmail.com.
La Tofana’s Poison Emporium
Set in 17th century Rome, Tofana’s Apothecary dutifully serves those who have nowhere else to turn. Three generations of women craft potions to treat every ailment, from itchy rashes to tempestuous husbands. But when a deadly scandal threatens their very existence, each must decide her own fate as the authorities close in around them. Joy McCullough’s bold new play reveals how in times of darkness, perhaps love, trust, and solidarity—mixed with a dash of rebellion—is just what the apothecary ordered.
Photo Credit: Joe Iano Photography
Macha Theater Works 17-minute Stories
April the 2nd – THE VOLCANO BY JOY MCCULLOUGH
In which a recent college graduate moves to Guatemala, learns to say yes, and climbs a volcano (which is not a metaphor).
Photo Credit: Joe Iano Photography
Smoke & Dust
“Like a master composer building a climax by overlapping melodies you never guessed would sound great simultaneously, McCullough at last dovetails her tales to provide a denouement as dramatically wrenching as it is deftly constructed.”
— Seattle Magazine
Blood/Water/Paint
“The must-see theatre on now in Seattle is ‘Blood Water Paint,’ from Macha Theatre Works.”
— NW Theatre
In the storage space beneath a stage’s trapdoor, Shakespeare’s dead women come to pass the time until they are required upon the stage again. The older women are resigned to their fates. But the younger women have some notes.
Led by young, enthusiastic Juliet—who is sick of wrenching that dagger out of her chest night after night—they begin to share their stories with one another. They start with comedic, speed-throughs of Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet, and King Lear. Lavinia from Titus Andronicus is there, too, but they aren’t sure what her story is, as she is physically unable to tell them.
The girls begin to question their stories and how things might have been different if they’d been given more agency. They pull other women from the Trap Room into their retellings, and the cast is scalable from a minimum of 12 to any size and gender makeup, with at least 30 distinct roles, and opportunities for stage combat and dancing.
I am currently pursuing publication of the stage adaptation so it will be available to license, but if your high school or theater company is interested in producing the script before that, feel free to reach out to me at joymcculloughbooks@gmail.com.
