ABOUT JOE

Joe Barros is a New York-based stage director and award-winning choreographer working on Broadway, Off-Broadway, regionally, and internationally.

Joe recently directed and choreographed two national tours of A Charlie Brown Christmas (Gershwin Entertainment), the new musical Love and Yogurt in New York, the musical Aida in Singapore, and A New Brain at Five Towns College on Long Island.

New York credits include the Broadway revival of Gigi (associate director, directed by Eric Schaeffer) starring Vanessa Hudgens and Victoria Clark, Cagney (associate director, directed by Bill Castellino), the New York premiere of Dan Elish and Douglas Cohen’s The Evolution of Mann Off-Broadway (starring Max Crumm and Allie Trimm, cast recording on iTunes and Spotify), the world premiere of Marc Acito and Amy Engelhardt’s critically acclaimed rock musical Bastard Jones Off-Broadway, Nine at CAP21/Molloy College, Out of the Box Theatrics’ Alice in Alice’s (Alice in Wonderland at Alice’s Tea Cup with a company of actors with disabilities, co-writer, world premiere at Weathervane Theatre), I Married Wyatt Earp at 59E59 Theatres (Prospect Theater Co./NY Theatre Barn), Hard Times (NY Innovative Theatre Award Nominee for Best Choreography, NY Times Critics’ Pick), Debra Barsha and Hollye Levin's A Taste of Things to Come (associate director, directed by Lorin Latarro, York Theatre Company, Bucks County Playhouse, Broadway in Chicago), and the world premiere of Cheryl Stern's Shoes & Baggage (The Cell). With New York Theatre Barn, Joe produced the new musical Sam's Room, inspired by real stories of nonverbal teens who find a way to communicate.

Regional/International productions include Beaches at Chicago's Drury Lane (associate director, directed by Eric Schaeffer) starring Shoshana Bean and Whitney Bashor, For Tonight at Goodspeed Musicals and Michigan State University, the world premiere of Brother Russia (associate director/choreographer, directed by Eric Schaeffer, choreography by Jodi Moccia) and The Haunted Hotel at DC’s Tony Award®-winning Signature Theatre, Aida at Singapore’s LASALLE College of the Arts, Carrie at Michigan State University (recipient of SDCF's Guest Artist Initiative program), Small Town Story at The Hartt School (also co-conceived), Tuck Everlasting, Bright Star, Cabaret, Catch Me if You Can, My Way, and Tenderly: The Rosemary Clooney Musical (Southeastern Summer Theatre Institute), the world premieres of The Mysterious Candy Factory and Mini Lover (Kaixinmahua, Shanghai), Nine and Die Fledermaus (Music Academy International, Italy), Fall in Love (Seoul, Korea), and workshops/readings of King Kong, Eastbound (by Khiyon Hursey/Cheeyang Ng), Mommie Dearest (by Christina Crawford and David Nehls), and Frankie.

Choreography for films include The Girl Who Left Home with Paolo Montalban (written by Mallorie Ortega), Mangus with Jennifer Coolidge, Leslie Jordan and John Waters, and Petunia with Christine Lahti, Thora Birch, and Michael Urie (both written/produced by Ash Christian).

Awards: The Drama League’s 2018 First Stage Residency, Stage Directors & Choreographers Society’s 2018 Standout Moments for the direction of an immersive production of Alice in Wonderland at Alice’s Tea Cup that featured an entire cast of actors with disabilities, 2017 BroadwayWorld Regional Award/Best Choreography, SDCF's Guest Artist Initiative recipient, and 2013 New York Innovative Theatre Award Nominee/Best Choreography.

Member: Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. Artistic Director: New York Theatre Barn – a Manhattan-based theatre company that has been a home for new musicals during incubation since 2007. BFA: The Hartt School. Teaching: Broadway For All (Musical Theatre Division Director), New York Film Academy, Inside Broadway, TVI Actors Studio, Actors Connection, Music Academy International, Michigan State University, Southeastern Summer Theatre Institute (SSTI), Western Carolina University, SUNY New Paltz, Shenandoah Conservatory, San Francisco Arts Education Project, Stagelighter.com. 

With Ryan Hasse, Joe is currently writing a new musical about Ryan White, the teenage hemophiliac who became the poster child for AIDS in the 1980’s (with an all-teenage cast). Joe also conceived Small Town Story (by Sammy Buck and Brandon James Gwinn), a new musical about two families in a North Texas town who struggle with a community battle ignited by a high school production of the musical Rent (inspired by true events).