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 and Your Stage Partners.
Enter the Body
By Joy McCullough
Read the script for free or find a production at Your Stage Partners.
(A one-act version of this play is also available.)
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 and Juliet, Hamlet, and King Lear, but then start asking: How might things have been different if they had been given more agency? Both a love letter to and critique of Shakespeare, Enter the Body is a testament to how young women can support each other and reclaim their stories in the aftermath of trauma.
Stage of Fools
By Joy McCullough
Directed by Amy Poisson
A co-production with Macha Theatre Works and Seattle Public Theater
World Premiere October 3rd – November 2nd, 2025
A scrappy feminist theater company is about to go under when they receive an offer they can’t refuse: has-been 80s action movie star Jake Stone will endow them with more money than they’ve ever dreamed of, if they’ll produce King Lear, with him in the titular role. Never mind that he’s an entitled, egotistical blowhard. These women can survive anything for the sake of the theater they love…right?
Photo credit: Joe Iano Photography
La Tofana’s Poison Emporium
By Joy McCullough
Directed by Amy Poisson
Produced by Macha Theatre Works
World Premiere October 14–29, 2022
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.
The Volcano
By Joy McCullough
Performed as part of Macha Theater Works’ 17-minute Stories
April 2, 2021
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
By Joy McCullough
Directed by Amy Poisson
Produced by Macha Theatre Works in association with Theatre Off Jackson
World Premiere March 21–April 14, 2018
Intrigue surrounds Barbara Strozzi, an ambitious 17th century composer rumored to be a courtesan. Her brilliance and musical talent are dismissed in a male-dominated profession that stifles female musicians. In Smoke And Dust, a modern acting troupe explores Strozzi’s music and the personal life of this historical figure: was she a victim, or an empowered woman defying society’s moralistic expectations? Playwright McCullough-Carranza deftly weaves together past and present as characters in both timelines struggle against the limits society places on a woman’s ambition.
Photo credit: Phil Henry
Blood/Water/Paint
By Joy McCullough
Directed by Amy Poisson
Produced by Macha Theatre Works
September 13–October 6, 2019
World Premiere February 20 – March 14, 2015, by Live Girls! Theatre, produced in association with Theatre Off Jackson.
Daniel Christensen and Alex Highsmith in the world premiere of BLOOD/WATER/PAINT at Live Girls! Theater. Photo credit: Joe Iano Photography
Watching Alex Highsmith and Daniel Christensen rehearsing the world premiere of BLOOD/WATER/PAINT at Live Girls! Theater. Photo credit: Joe Iano Photography.
