a short story...
When Joseph was twelve years old, he played Charlie Brown in a play at his local library. That was the beginning. Freshman year in college, in a review of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest in the school paper, a student critic said of his performance as Martini: “Joseph Furnari acted crazily enough to convince anyone he was in the right institution.” That was when he was hooked.
He studied theatre arts and business at Rutgers University and continued his education at Montclair State University, earning an MA in Theatre. Over the years, Joseph has produced, directed and acted in numerous productions in professional and educational theatre. He his play Out of Time premiered at the New York International Fringe Festival in 2001. He directed the world premieres of Minha Rosa (1999FringeNYC) and Life Happens.
As a theatre educator, Joseph began as a Teaching Artist for the Whole Theatre Company in Montclair, New Jersey. Eventually, he became a Theatre Arts Specialist for the New York City Department of Education. He taught Theatre at Repertory High School for Theatre Arts and coached student teachers. In conjunction with other theatre facilitators, he planned and presented professional development sessions for theatre arts teachers throughout New York City.
While at Repertory HS, Joseph worked with other teachers to develop a collaborative model for arts integrated project-based learning. The process begins with and centers on an aesthetic exploration in one or more art forms (i.e. Sunday In The Park With George, Alvin Ailey’s Revelation). Each teacher then works with the students from the perspective of his or her discipline. Students bring what they garner from these varying explorations into their arts classes where they craft theatre, dance and/or music pieces. Working in this manner, the students were able to examine the themes and issues from diverse perspectives and in greater depth. They came to better understand the cultural milieu and conflicts surrounding the topic being investigated, and the affect these have on their lives. They also came to know that theatre can be a social/political arena and a venue to examine life.
In 2007, Joseph received his Ed.D. in Art and Art Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Combining an investigation of varying theories and methods of drama in education with theories of play and identity development, specifically in relationship to Winnicott’s theory of a potential space and Ellsworth’s concept of transitional space, his dissertation study examined the nature and attributes of dramatic experiences and the ways in which adolescents develop in and through these experiences. This theoretical investigation was combined with an ethnographic study in which fourteen high school students participated in a semester long after-school drama workshop. The focus of the project was to create an original piece of ethnotheatre, eventually titled What’s the Point, based on the students’ experiences and issues important in their lives. The play was performed at Repertory HS, at other NYC schools, for a professional development seminar for all NYC theatre arts teachers and at the AATE National Conference in Washington, DC.
In 2008, Joseph received a Surdna Arts Teachers Fellowship for artists who are teachers to help them reconnect with their art because since they are teachers they have neither time nor money to actually practice their craft. Through this fellow he was able to study at the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre.
In 2010, Joseph moved to New Orleans. He directed the world premiere of Gayland in the 2013 New Orleans Fringe Festival. As associate artistic director of The Elm Theatre, he directed The Adventures of Buttboy and Tigger (Big Easy nomination for Best Director and Best Production - Comedy) and the world premiere of Christina Quintana’s Enter Your Sleep. Joseph’s first solo show, @JerseyArnie42, premiered in November 2015 in the Razor’s Edge Solo Festival in New Orleans, LA. The play tells the story Arnie DiCicco, a man so disillusioned with life that he withdrew to the sanctuary of his living room where he spends his days trolling the internet and coping with isolation. However, a storm is fast approaching that coaxes Arnie into action.
Presently, he is enjoying spending his time playing and singing with his ukulele. He is also working on rewrites and a remount of Get A Smaller Glass. Deeply frustrated and disturbed by the goings on in the world around him and weary of the negative rantings of other disturbed individuals on social media, Joseph decided to take a more positive approach. Get A Smaller Glass the humorous and heartfelt story of his pursuit of happiness.
When Joseph was twelve years old, he played Charlie Brown in a play at his local library. That was the beginning. Freshman year in college, in a review of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest in the school paper, a student critic said of his performance as Martini: “Joseph Furnari acted crazily enough to convince anyone he was in the right institution.” That was when he was hooked.
He studied theatre arts and business at Rutgers University and continued his education at Montclair State University, earning an MA in Theatre. Over the years, Joseph has produced, directed and acted in numerous productions in professional and educational theatre. He his play Out of Time premiered at the New York International Fringe Festival in 2001. He directed the world premieres of Minha Rosa (1999FringeNYC) and Life Happens.
As a theatre educator, Joseph began as a Teaching Artist for the Whole Theatre Company in Montclair, New Jersey. Eventually, he became a Theatre Arts Specialist for the New York City Department of Education. He taught Theatre at Repertory High School for Theatre Arts and coached student teachers. In conjunction with other theatre facilitators, he planned and presented professional development sessions for theatre arts teachers throughout New York City.
While at Repertory HS, Joseph worked with other teachers to develop a collaborative model for arts integrated project-based learning. The process begins with and centers on an aesthetic exploration in one or more art forms (i.e. Sunday In The Park With George, Alvin Ailey’s Revelation). Each teacher then works with the students from the perspective of his or her discipline. Students bring what they garner from these varying explorations into their arts classes where they craft theatre, dance and/or music pieces. Working in this manner, the students were able to examine the themes and issues from diverse perspectives and in greater depth. They came to better understand the cultural milieu and conflicts surrounding the topic being investigated, and the affect these have on their lives. They also came to know that theatre can be a social/political arena and a venue to examine life.
In 2007, Joseph received his Ed.D. in Art and Art Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Combining an investigation of varying theories and methods of drama in education with theories of play and identity development, specifically in relationship to Winnicott’s theory of a potential space and Ellsworth’s concept of transitional space, his dissertation study examined the nature and attributes of dramatic experiences and the ways in which adolescents develop in and through these experiences. This theoretical investigation was combined with an ethnographic study in which fourteen high school students participated in a semester long after-school drama workshop. The focus of the project was to create an original piece of ethnotheatre, eventually titled What’s the Point, based on the students’ experiences and issues important in their lives. The play was performed at Repertory HS, at other NYC schools, for a professional development seminar for all NYC theatre arts teachers and at the AATE National Conference in Washington, DC.
In 2008, Joseph received a Surdna Arts Teachers Fellowship for artists who are teachers to help them reconnect with their art because since they are teachers they have neither time nor money to actually practice their craft. Through this fellow he was able to study at the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre.
In 2010, Joseph moved to New Orleans. He directed the world premiere of Gayland in the 2013 New Orleans Fringe Festival. As associate artistic director of The Elm Theatre, he directed The Adventures of Buttboy and Tigger (Big Easy nomination for Best Director and Best Production - Comedy) and the world premiere of Christina Quintana’s Enter Your Sleep. Joseph’s first solo show, @JerseyArnie42, premiered in November 2015 in the Razor’s Edge Solo Festival in New Orleans, LA. The play tells the story Arnie DiCicco, a man so disillusioned with life that he withdrew to the sanctuary of his living room where he spends his days trolling the internet and coping with isolation. However, a storm is fast approaching that coaxes Arnie into action.
Presently, he is enjoying spending his time playing and singing with his ukulele. He is also working on rewrites and a remount of Get A Smaller Glass. Deeply frustrated and disturbed by the goings on in the world around him and weary of the negative rantings of other disturbed individuals on social media, Joseph decided to take a more positive approach. Get A Smaller Glass the humorous and heartfelt story of his pursuit of happiness.
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