ABOUT MEFrom small town Minnesota, Josephine has always had her sights set on a performance lifestyle. The earliest memory of her love for theatre comes from when she was around 7- visiting Medora, North Dakota for its annual summer musical. After watching the acting, dancing and singing, she knew there was nothing else she dreamed of doing more than being on stage. Since then, she has continued to pursue every opportunity to perform that comes her way. Her drive and passion for theatre led her to Concordia College where she graduated in 2021 with a B.A. in Communication Studies and Theatre Arts with a music minor.
During her time at Concordia, Josephine had the privilege to learn from and work with the incredible Donna Kaz, an original Guerrilla Girl, and compete on the Forensics team. These experiences paved a clear path for her after graduation: advocacy through performance. She is very passionate about using theatre to highlight how important your voice is to evoke change and to always remember to advocate for issues that are important to you. Josephine is furthering her education and training at the California Institute of the Arts in the MFA Acting program. She is extremely honored to be a part of a community that holds equity, inclusivity, creativity, ingenuity, individual growth, and collaboration at the heart of their programs. Josephine is always looking forward to the next project and hopes to create theatre that is representative of all experiences. Josephine is also very passionate about donuts, hotdogs, and brunch. When not in the theatre, you can usually find her reading, doing some sort of arts and craft project, or watching TV via FaceTime with her dear friend, Kate. |
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Up Next
Men on Boats/ The California Institute of the Arts
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Josephine is thrilled to be a part of the upcoming production of Men on Boats at CalArts in February. She is honored to be at the helm of the expedition, playing John Wesley Powell, and is appreciative of the vulnerability, playful nature, trust, and transparency that has been exhibited in the rehearsal room since day one. It is truly a gift to be in a room primarily made of women and non-binary artists and creatives. She is excited to tackle the challenges of portraying rapids, waterfalls, and navigating a river on a stage! She is inspired by the opportunity to do this play in a way it has never been done before, and can't wait to show it to the CalArts community and beyond! Read about Men on Boats and its inception below.
In 1869, ten explorers set off to chart the Green and Colorado Rivers, under the guidance of John Wesley Powell, a one-armed Civil War Veteran and personal friend of President Grant, a government-sanctioned journey following in the footsteps of the deserters, lone adventurers, and countless indigenous people who have previously braved the wild rapids leading through Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico, and through the most dangerous waterway of all: the Grand Canyon. Along the way they make friends, they get on each other’s nerves, they suffer loss of boat and supplies, they doubt, struggle, and name mountains after themselves, they posture and pretend, they quit while they’re ahead, and they repeatedly brave dangerous rapids to reach the other side. As boats capsize and supplies are lost, as belts tighten and nerves fray, the company draws together as a band of brothers, even as three members fear the outcome of the final waterfalls and make the fateful decision to leave before the end. In Men On Boats, Jacklyn Backhaus’ original, hilarious, and delightful adventure dramedy, the conquering men out to chronicle the land in service of America, God, and Manifest destiny, are given voice and movement by actors who are anything and everything but white and male, and the bravery, determination, foolishness, humanity, and true grit of the historical explorers is memorialized, while the historical moment of their journey is viewed with a critical lense. Men on Boats run February 2, 3, and 4 at 8:00 p.m. in E407 at the California Institute of the Arts. |
Previously
Roberto Zucco/ The California Institute of the Arts
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Josephine made her CalArts School of Theater debut this fall in Roberto Zucco directed by MFA3 Director Héctor Alvarez! What a challenging piece of text to tackle and bring to life on stage and Josephine is forever grateful for the opportunity to work with dedicated, inspiring, and imaginative actors, designers, and creatives during this production. Josephine loved the opportunity to work with both MFA and BFA actors, and learned so much about Brechtian textual analysis and creative implementation throughout the course of this show.
Additionally, she LOVED her costume design and was so excited to wear custom made metallic blue pants every night! |
The Metromaniacs/ Theatre 40 of Beverly Hills
Josephine was so grateful to be make her LA Theatre Debut as Lucille in The Metromaniacs with Theatre 40 of Beverly Hills. She was equally as grateful to share the stage with some of the funniest, most brilliant actors she has had the honor of working with! Josephine dove head first into this farce, using the knowledge and new skills she learned from her mentors and teachers during her first year of training at CalArts. Under the direction of Marjorie Hayes, Josephine was provided with the opportunity to play and make big, bold choices with a character in a way she hadn't had the privilege of fully embodying before.
Read reviews of the performances below!
splashmags.com/index.php/2022/07/23/the-metromaniacs-review-a-delightful-french-farce/#gsc.tab=0
stagescenela.com/2022/07/the-metromaniacs/
www.haineshisway.com/2022/08/the-metromaniacs-reviewed-by-rob-stevens/
Read reviews of the performances below!
splashmags.com/index.php/2022/07/23/the-metromaniacs-review-a-delightful-french-farce/#gsc.tab=0
stagescenela.com/2022/07/the-metromaniacs/
www.haineshisway.com/2022/08/the-metromaniacs-reviewed-by-rob-stevens/
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Dance Nation/ Concordia College Theatre
For her undergraduate senior thesis project, Josephine found herself stepping into a new role in the theater! She worked as the choreographer for Clare Baron's Dance Nation and had the opportunity to develop teaching and movement skills with the cast, crew, and production team. Being a choreographer presented Josephine with unique challenges and educational opportunities, and really allowed her to work with the script, character development, and music to help the actors convey vulnerability, angst, youthfulness, hope, despair, and a plethora of other emotions through dance.
She read this play for the first time in her Women and Theatre class in the fall of 2019 and knew this was a show she wanted to be a part of during her time in college. She advocated for this show to be part of the line-up for the 2020-21 season Concordia and was met with ample support from faculty and staff. Herself and others in the class reached out to fellow students whom they thought would be excellent additions to the project. The project was a fully student-led production made up of an all women and non-binary creative team.
She read this play for the first time in her Women and Theatre class in the fall of 2019 and knew this was a show she wanted to be a part of during her time in college. She advocated for this show to be part of the line-up for the 2020-21 season Concordia and was met with ample support from faculty and staff. Herself and others in the class reached out to fellow students whom they thought would be excellent additions to the project. The project was a fully student-led production made up of an all women and non-binary creative team.
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Dead Man's Cell Phone/ Concordia College Theatre
Josephine was excited to come back to campus this fall and create art with her fellow peers, even if it looked a little different than she imagined her senior year fall play to be. Josephine jumped at the chance to have another opportunity to be a part of live theatre when currently most of live theatre shows are on hold until further notice. With the guidance of her director, Dr. David Wintersteen, Josephine was able to experience a safe and highly educational rehearsal process.
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Josephine got the chance to bring Sarah Ruhl's character of Hermia from her 2007 play Dead Man's Cell Phone to the stage in November of 2020. The biggest challenge presented to Josephine was finding a way to emote with only half her face visible! This experience gave her the opportunity to really get into her body as a performer and utilize big movements and gestures to portray what her face couldn't due to the masks. She also had to find the balance of how much projection and diction is needed to break through the barrier of a mask. It certainly was a learning curve that Josephine knows will be beneficial for her in future performances!
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Hairspray/ Fargo- Moorhead Community Theatre
Josephine was thrilled to be back with Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre (FMCT) this summer finding a way to bring theatre to the community that was both socially distanced and safe for all involved! Under the direction of Adam Pankow, Josephine had her first experience performing at an outdoor theatre location while portraying the iconic Velma Von Tussle.
She had the opportunity to work with some of the most talented artists in the area to tell a story about acceptance and equity that is so needed during this time! |
"And Josephine Núñez as Velma Von Tussle. I was loving hating her as she played this role spot on. And those pipes can do so much more... I’m sure." -Pammela Volk, audience review
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MacBeth/ Concordia College Theatre
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Josephine had the honor of playing the Scottish king this past February! This was Josephine's first Shakespearean role and she dug into all the research she could find to capture the complexity and depth of such a regal, famous character. Understanding traditional masculine mannerisms and portrayal of emotions gave her an acting workout that helped her grow as a performer each time she stepped on to that stage. Josephine was honored to play the infamous king alongside a cast full of strong, intelligent, intuitive women. She received her first lessons in stage combat and is itching to do another show that involves this thrilling element!
Josephine was excited to analyze and explore the themes of choice, power, vulnerability, and consequence that appear in the script; and are emphasized when being played by a female-identifying performer. Opening night fell on her birthday and she was surrounded by loved ones who came to celebrate this incredible experience with her after the show! 
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Young Frankenstein/ Concordia College Theatre
Josephine got to put her tap shoes to good use during Concordia College's fall musical! Under the direction of guest director Donna Kaz, Josephine was able to dance the night away alongside some other colorful monsters in Transylvania. She loved wearing her villager flower crown and the special effects in this show the most! This was Josephine's first experience being a Dance Captain for the ensemble members. Donna lead dance classes and Josephine was able to shadow her expertise to help create fun, energetic, and precise chorus pieces! She loved getting to step into this leadership role and grew so much as a dancer during this time. |
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The Fox on the Fairway, Disney's The Little Mermaid/ Prairie Repertory Theatre |
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Josephine had the privilege of booking her first summer stock experience with Prairie Repertory Theatre (PRT) based out of Brookings, SD! She got to go under the sea as Aquata with her fellow mer-sisters in Disney's The Little Mermaid. She was so excited to be part of a show with so much music, dancing, and sparkles!
Josephine got to trade in her scales for a bedazzled zebra print dress to embody Pamela in The Fox on the Fairway. Working with such a small cast gave Josephine the chance to genuinely connect with each actor's character on stage. It was a high energy, high stakes show with so much humor! When she wasn't performing, you could find her working in the box office or sewing away in the costume shop. It was truly a summer she will never forget and a delightful glimpse into what summer stock life is like! |
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Contact Me!
Contact Josephine via email or check out her "Contact" page for other social media platforms!
