BIOGRAPHY
She
Joanna Pickering is an award nominated British actress and writer represented by 3 Arts Entertainment.
Acting
Joanna completed training at The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in New York City (home to James Dean, Marlon Brando, Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman). Joanna has been trained to a high standard in Method Acting, including extensive training in acting for camera in television and film, stage and radio. Joanna has worked worldwide on over 30 films - both commercial and independent feature films in lead roles. As of 2019, she has an upcoming role in Danny Boyle's Creation Stories movie written by Irvine Welsh and Dean Cavanagh, is shooting a pilot as principal role for "Street Smart" with Sopranos and Goodfellas cast.
Her credits include The Other F Word amazon prime hit series, Pelleas with co-lead Alice Eve (Star Trek), as well as principal cast in "Alice Fades Away" with Emmy award and A list cast set for theatrical release 2020. She has performed in two films screening at The Whitney Museum, as the Dada artist Baroness Elsa Von Freytag Lorinhoven in 2012, and in May 2018 in The Incomplete History of Protest exhibition.
ON stage, She played Lady Macbeth on stage in Pittsburgh summer 2018 and TV series called Actors ON, with support from PSTV and Shakespeare in The Park. She performed in Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues in New York City summer 2018, as well as King Herod in David Heron's and Eston Lee Jamaican classic as featured on Broadway World. Joanna was selected from her performance work by co-founders, directors and actors Paul Calderon (Bosch, Pulp Fiction) and David Zayas (Oz, Gotham, Blue Bloods) (also original founders of The LAByrinth theater and mentors to Philip Seymour Hoffman), and is a member of The Primitive Grace Theater Ensemble, with the shared mission to bring the spirit of "duende" to stage in new, contemporary or classic works. Joanna gained an acting scholarship to coach for a semester with Russian award winning coach, Aleksey Burago at The Russian Art Theater, in New York. She was referred to workshop with academy award winning screenwriter and director Bobby Moresco at The Actors Gym in New York, 2020.
Writing
Joanna's debut play BEACH BREAK was included in The Duende Readings with Primitive Grace Theater. It is official top five finalists for HBO'S ITV festival as a broadcast, an official finalist for Screencraft stage plays judged by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwrights, Kaplan/Perone Entertainment, The Gotham Group, and Ava Duvernay and Oprah Winfrey's OWN's Queen Sugar writers. It aired on British Radio, in UK, February, 2019.
Her film BOARDWALK screened at The Anthology Archive Film Theater in September 2018, described in press as "fluid, beautiful and sensational." It was award nominated for Best Film and Best mystery thriller at NY Web Festival 2019.
Joanna has been awarded writing scholarships for her screenplay with Rohm Literary Agency and Margaret Atwood's agent Phoebe Larmore, the Rocaberti Scholarship with mentor Jen Grisanti for writers on the verge at NBC, and to work alongside David Paul Kirkpatrick, former president of Paramount Pictures and Head of productions at Walt Disney pictures /Touchstone. She is also a 2020 Robert Mckee fellow as well as workshopping her screenplay with John Patrick Shanley, 2019. Her play was 1 of 8 selected by the American Dramatist Guild Institute, 2020. Her acting and writing work has received the testimony of Pacific Rim, Jurassic World writer/director Emily Carmichael, and Downton, Marvel director Philip John.
She will direct her first episodic TV episode in 2019 in award winning hit show "The SO-SO You Don't Know" with lead actress Sachi Parker/Shirley Maclaine daughter).
Joanna is the jury president for the NY2Paris and NYIFF, on the advisory board for The Chelsea Film Festival, speaks on women in power and entertainment panels, moderates the panel for The Imagine Female International Film Festival, and speaks on The Woman in Film Panel for The Independent film festival in New York City. She hosted the awards at The New York Web Series Festival 2018.
She is regarded for choosing projects that support political or social activism over mainstream avenues, and is known as a strong voice for gender equality and diversity inclusivity. She has published articles on the patriarchy and the entertainment industry, is a feature writer for Louder Than War online magazine and Bellacaledonia. She writes as an expert for Backstage Magazine. She has taught mathematics in-school to refugees and children with special needs in London.
Joanna is represented by 3 Art Entertainment for acting and literary talent, Beverly Hills, NYC in USA, Mavrick Artists Agency in Hollywood, Metropolis in New York, United Agents in UK (freelance) and CEDS (VO freelance NYC).
Joanna Pickering is an award nominated British actress and writer represented by 3 Arts Entertainment.
Acting
Joanna completed training at The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in New York City (home to James Dean, Marlon Brando, Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman). Joanna has been trained to a high standard in Method Acting, including extensive training in acting for camera in television and film, stage and radio. Joanna has worked worldwide on over 30 films - both commercial and independent feature films in lead roles. As of 2019, she has an upcoming role in Danny Boyle's Creation Stories movie written by Irvine Welsh and Dean Cavanagh, is shooting a pilot as principal role for "Street Smart" with Sopranos and Goodfellas cast.
Her credits include The Other F Word amazon prime hit series, Pelleas with co-lead Alice Eve (Star Trek), as well as principal cast in "Alice Fades Away" with Emmy award and A list cast set for theatrical release 2020. She has performed in two films screening at The Whitney Museum, as the Dada artist Baroness Elsa Von Freytag Lorinhoven in 2012, and in May 2018 in The Incomplete History of Protest exhibition.
ON stage, She played Lady Macbeth on stage in Pittsburgh summer 2018 and TV series called Actors ON, with support from PSTV and Shakespeare in The Park. She performed in Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues in New York City summer 2018, as well as King Herod in David Heron's and Eston Lee Jamaican classic as featured on Broadway World. Joanna was selected from her performance work by co-founders, directors and actors Paul Calderon (Bosch, Pulp Fiction) and David Zayas (Oz, Gotham, Blue Bloods) (also original founders of The LAByrinth theater and mentors to Philip Seymour Hoffman), and is a member of The Primitive Grace Theater Ensemble, with the shared mission to bring the spirit of "duende" to stage in new, contemporary or classic works. Joanna gained an acting scholarship to coach for a semester with Russian award winning coach, Aleksey Burago at The Russian Art Theater, in New York. She was referred to workshop with academy award winning screenwriter and director Bobby Moresco at The Actors Gym in New York, 2020.
Writing
Joanna's debut play BEACH BREAK was included in The Duende Readings with Primitive Grace Theater. It is official top five finalists for HBO'S ITV festival as a broadcast, an official finalist for Screencraft stage plays judged by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwrights, Kaplan/Perone Entertainment, The Gotham Group, and Ava Duvernay and Oprah Winfrey's OWN's Queen Sugar writers. It aired on British Radio, in UK, February, 2019.
Her film BOARDWALK screened at The Anthology Archive Film Theater in September 2018, described in press as "fluid, beautiful and sensational." It was award nominated for Best Film and Best mystery thriller at NY Web Festival 2019.
Joanna has been awarded writing scholarships for her screenplay with Rohm Literary Agency and Margaret Atwood's agent Phoebe Larmore, the Rocaberti Scholarship with mentor Jen Grisanti for writers on the verge at NBC, and to work alongside David Paul Kirkpatrick, former president of Paramount Pictures and Head of productions at Walt Disney pictures /Touchstone. She is also a 2020 Robert Mckee fellow as well as workshopping her screenplay with John Patrick Shanley, 2019. Her play was 1 of 8 selected by the American Dramatist Guild Institute, 2020. Her acting and writing work has received the testimony of Pacific Rim, Jurassic World writer/director Emily Carmichael, and Downton, Marvel director Philip John.
She will direct her first episodic TV episode in 2019 in award winning hit show "The SO-SO You Don't Know" with lead actress Sachi Parker/Shirley Maclaine daughter).
Joanna is the jury president for the NY2Paris and NYIFF, on the advisory board for The Chelsea Film Festival, speaks on women in power and entertainment panels, moderates the panel for The Imagine Female International Film Festival, and speaks on The Woman in Film Panel for The Independent film festival in New York City. She hosted the awards at The New York Web Series Festival 2018.
She is regarded for choosing projects that support political or social activism over mainstream avenues, and is known as a strong voice for gender equality and diversity inclusivity. She has published articles on the patriarchy and the entertainment industry, is a feature writer for Louder Than War online magazine and Bellacaledonia. She writes as an expert for Backstage Magazine. She has taught mathematics in-school to refugees and children with special needs in London.
Joanna is represented by 3 Art Entertainment for acting and literary talent, Beverly Hills, NYC in USA, Mavrick Artists Agency in Hollywood, Metropolis in New York, United Agents in UK (freelance) and CEDS (VO freelance NYC).
"Joanna is a hard working, intelligent actor who is dedicated, and can take direction well, as well as drawing on her own initiative. She can bring to any role, no matter how small, or how challenging, a strong and committed performance"
Irma Sandrey, Method Coach, Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute (Al Pacino, Sienna Miller, Scarlett Johansson, Uma Thurman et al)
"Joanna's audition is impossible to forget; she has a raw, intuitive talent, rich in intensity. She has a definite talent."
Director Aleksey Burago/Russian Art Theater/HB Studio.
Joanna has been described as a multi-talented artist, with a wealth of expertise and experience. She overlaps creative projects in writing, modelling, music and TV/film producing and screenplays.
In 2013/14, Joanna successfully pitched a TV show for Chinese funding by CCTV at The Guardian Edinburgh Television Festival. Joanna has presented at NATPE (National Association of Television Producer Executives) and gaining the praise of CEO Rod Perth for "ability to penetrate major Television at such level," as well as MIP TV Cannes, and Cannes Market at Cannes International Festival, and backing from Delta Airline. In 2016, from this experience she was able to set her own production company Strange Pilgrim Productions, and commence writing and producing her own scripts.
In 2013/14, Joanna successfully pitched a TV show for Chinese funding by CCTV at The Guardian Edinburgh Television Festival. Joanna has presented at NATPE (National Association of Television Producer Executives) and gaining the praise of CEO Rod Perth for "ability to penetrate major Television at such level," as well as MIP TV Cannes, and Cannes Market at Cannes International Festival, and backing from Delta Airline. In 2016, from this experience she was able to set her own production company Strange Pilgrim Productions, and commence writing and producing her own scripts.
Joanna has gained an 01 artists talent visa awarded by the Screens Actors Guild and The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television for USA, and is a member of Equity and spotlight in UK.
Joanna has a Bachelor of Science degree in Pure and Applied Mathematics.
"Joanna in the very best sense of the word, is an animal - raw, instinctive, unpredictable and compelling. You can't take your eyes off her."
Phillip John, multi BAFTA nominated Director, Downton Abbey, Spotless, New Tricks, Being Human, ITV/BBC/PBS
After meeting Joanna at the Tribeca Film Festival and being enamored with her charisma, I familiarized myself with her portfolio and was incredibly impressed with her acting. I set up introductions between Joanna and major talent agencies, and most notably, cast her in my forthcoming feature film Eon, the script which caught the attention of Steven Spielberg. "
Emily Carmichael, Director and writer for Spielberg, Amblin Entertainment, Pacific Rim, 20th Century Fox, Jurassic Park 3, HBO
Joanna reminds me in all aspects of her acting work, elegance and power of Vanessa Redgrave, which having also worked with her, is the highest compliment I can give an actor. She is just fabulous. She is a truly great actress. She must be on stage!
Bina Sharif, acclaimed playwright and director, New York City
"A great actress and creative: willing to learn and join in the development of a role. Great sense of humour and a joy to work with"
Dean Cavanagh, BAFTA nominated Writer/Director/TV Producer, Channel 4, HBO, BBC
Joanna was fantastic to have on set for Svengali! She was superb to work with, and even in a small part, brought so many great ideas to the table. I'd highly recommend working with her in any capacity on film, TV or theatre."
Jonathan Owen, writer and director, British indie hit "Svengali" starring Martin Freeman (The Hobbit) and BAFTA award winning Vicky McClure
"Joanna's greatest attribute as an actress - is the ease with which she can portray perhaps the most difficult task of all - vulnerability."
Alexa Oath, Senior Coach, Lee Strasberg
"Joanna knows how to deliver psychological realism."
Norman B Schwartz, senior coach and director, NYFA
"Joanna is a natural, show her a part that you feel she is suited for and she will become that character."
Thayer Films, USA
"I am, in my travels and work, from New York, London, Europe and Los Angeles, continually searching for creativity, inspiration and truth, in my work, myself, and my peers."
Joanna Pickering, Zani interview, UK
My strongest role model for these decisions has always been Tilda Swinton. Before her rise to major success, I was watching her in 1999 as a kid, in "The War Zone" and observed her choices in the style of scripts she explored, refusing to go Hollywood or commercial. It has guided me in not being afraid to turn commercial scripts down."
Actress Joanna Pickering, interview New York City, 2015
Her favourite actresses? Easy, she replies – “Charlotte Rampling, Julie Christie, Tilda Swinton, Jessica Lange, Emanuelle Riva, Anna Karina, Francoise Dorleac… for today”
Feature Interview for Louder Than War Magazine, 2012, UK
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Any redistribution or reproduction of part or all of the contents in any form is prohibited. You may not, except with our express written permission, distribute or commercially exploit the content. Nor may you transmit it or store it in any other website or other form of electronic retrieval system.
