Joanie Friedman joins Court Theatre as the Director of the Civic Actor Studio, a civic innovation that utilizes theater-based retreats to strengthen leadership capacity and cultivate community trust. Over the past two decades, Joanie has launched four transformative civic leadership programs whose success is rooted in the brilliance and investment of local community leaders. This role follows her tenure as Executive Director of Civic Leadership at the University of Chicago, where she launched the Civic Leadership Academy and developed the award-winning Community of Care Initiative—a partnership with Cook County’s Justice Advisory Council designed to empower violence prevention leaders. Previously, she led the Southside Arts & Humanities Network, an intentional community of 150 arts leaders, and managed Dramagirls at the Redmoon Theater, an all-girls youth program on Chicago’s West Side. Currently a member of the 3Arts Board of Directors, Joanie continues to be an enthusiastic architect of Chicago’s civic and cultural landscape.
Bio as of 3/2026