Joy-Marie "JoyBoy" Thompson
MFA Candidate
JoyBoy is a Bessie Award nominated performing artist, writer, and educator based in Queens, NY. Hailing from Western Pennsylvania, JoyBoy creates humorously surreal performances to explore existential themes surrounding identity, history, and power dynamics. They have also presented their work at Ars Nova, Arts on Site, Triskelion Arts, 3 Dollar Bill, The Brick Theater, PRISMA Festival, Judson Memorial Church, Derida Stage, The August Wilson Center for African-American Culture, and The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College. Prior credits include: Geoff Sobelle’s HOME, The Metropolitan Opera’s El Niño and Aida, Erika Dickerson-Despenza’s shadow/land at The Public Theater, Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More (NYC), and Stayce Pearl’s CIRCLES and sym. Their writing has been published by thINKingDANCE and Imagining: A Gibney Journal. As an educator, JoyBoy served as an adjunct lecturer at SUNY Purchase’s Conservatory of Dance from 2022-2026 and teaches pilates during the day.