Joan Korte is an actor, director, and teacher, and she is always enthusiastic to share her passion for storytelling and creating theatre. As an actor, she loves creating characters grounded in truth either by using the embodied text of Shakespeare or giving voice to emerging playwrights. She has most recently been involved with Fair Assembly Theatre Company, Dallas Texas, Texas Shakespeare Festival, and Theatre Midwest, Des Moines, Iowa. Joan has an affinity for strong women, having played Violet in AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, and Queen Eleanor in both THE LION IN WINTER and Shakespeare's KING JOHN. This past year she developed and toured a one-person show called THE GULL, after Anton Chekhov’s THE SEAGULL. In THE GULL, she plays ten different characters in this 90-minute production.

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As a director, Joan is always ready for a challenge. From classics to new works, she strives to create worlds full of complex, multi-faceted characters who are searching for hope and connection. Joan has directed over 40 plays and musicals, and favorite directing projects include A DOLL'S HOUSE PART 2, DANCING AT LUGHNASA, THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, and TARTUFFE.

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Currently, Joan is an Associate Professor of Acting and the Director of Performance at Oklahoma State University, supporting and growing a vibrant community of theatre artists. She has been at OSU since 2022, and before coming to Oklahoma, she taught and created theatre in Nebraska for 25 years. She teaches all levels of acting and directing, including special topics like Acting Comedy, and Playing Shakespeare. Her voice pedagogy is based on the foundational work of Kristen Linklater. Joan also teaches Accents and Dialects and has served as a dialect coach for many productions. After a long career in theatre, Joan has had experience as a producer and costume designer as well.