Joanne is a former chairman of our Society. She first appeared at the age of twelve in a professional production of Jesus Christ Superstar. She has been with us since 1984, when she played Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof. She played Hortense in the Youth Group's award-winning The Boyfriend.
Joanne has acted as Assistant Producer / Choreographer on a number of occasions - what WOULD we do without her?
As choreographer, she has also worked with St Agnes' Choral Society and Lurgan Operatic.
She enjoys leading our Youth Group, and has co-produced several highly successful shows, including The Wizard of Oz (2002), Annie (2003), Fiddler on the Roof (2004) and My Fair Lady (2005).
In May 2006, Joanne took the Youth Group, along with over 500 schoolchildren, to The Waterfront Hall for a one-night production of Oliver. This was a massive undertaking, which Joanne handled with her usual calm professionalism. Schools from North Belfast, Antrim, Ballymena and Ballycastle formed the chorus in the upper tiers surrounding the stage, while over 75 members of the Youth Group reprised their successful performances in Ballyearl a month earlier.
The venture was a great success on every level. Commercially, the 2,000 seat auditorium was virtually sold out. For many of the children, both on stage and in the chorus, this was their first time inside the Belfast landmark building, and many of the schools spoke afterwards of the tremendous positive impact that the children had experienced.
Joanne is now a Life Member of Fortwilliam.