Joanne Barbara Koch is an author, playwright and musical book writer, screenwriter, and teacher of writing. She has written or collaborated on 18 plays and musicals produced and toured to cities and communities across the country, including NYC off-Broadway, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami Beach, Milwaukee, San Diego, Philadelphia and Port Washington, NY. Her play "Stardust" won the Nantucket National Short Play Competition and is published by Dramatic Publishing in Woodstock, Illinois. "Soul Sisters," written with Sarah Blacher Cohen, a multicultural musical with a cast of two women and one man has toured to 32 universities and communities. "Soul Sisters" is included in the 10-play anthology Shared Stages with "Driving Miss Daisy" and "Fires in the Mirror," co-edited by Cohen and Koch and published by State University of New York Press. "Safe Harbor," a true story of rescue and resistance during the Nazi occupation of Greece enhanced by Greek and Ladino incidental music, premiered at the Organic Theater in Chicago and has toured to many schools, congregations and communities in the Midwest and in Los Angeles.

The musical Belle Barth: If I embarrass you, tell your friends (aka Raunchy Little Musical) was produced to rave reviews at the Landmark Theater in Port Washington, New York. (See website: joannekochplaywright.com.)        The musical "American Klezmer" with book by Joanne Koch, music by Ilya Levinson, and lyrics by Owen Kalt was produced in Los Angeles and is being developed for a 2021 production. Joanne has directed the Chicago Writers' Bloc new play development group that has brought over 250 new plays to the Chicago area and beyond to theaters across the country.  (Contact Joanne at joannebarbarakoch@gmail.com)