Name: Joanna Harmon
Twitter: “I’ve no idea how to Twitter, but I am on Facebook.”
Website: “Live Action Set’s website is liveactionset.org.”
What’s your job?
“I’m a freelance actor, and the executive director of Live Action Set, a theater company that creates ensemble-driven, devised pieces of theater. We strive to showcase what only theater can do and to appeal to people on an emotionally and intellectually accessible level. We soon begin the long process of developing our next show, which will be at the Cowles Center in June.”
Other than your job, what are your claims to fame?
“I’m a good cook, and I have a knack for picking out good recipes. I also speak some French and Mandarin, as I livedin France and China for a couple of years when I was in high school. If anybody wants to practice with me, get in touch!”
What’s your relationship status?
“You really want to know?”
Where are you most likely to be seen?
“Theaters. Grocery stores. Restaurants that have character, that have good food that is cumbersome to make at home, and that serve for what I consider appropriate prices: Alma, La Belle Vie, 112, Brasa, Punch, Chai’s, Moose and Sadie’s for their ginger limeade, and the Chambers Kitchen when it was run by Jean-Georges Vongerichten. (I’m still mourning its loss. They had a passion fruit soufflé that was sunshine in your mouth! Someone please take note and add this item to your menu!) But I’m also an artist with artist friends, and we often need a cheap drink, so you can see me at dive bars like Cuzzy’s, and places with good late-night happy hours like Moto-i too.”
Where are you least likely to be seen?
“Movie theaters. Sporting events. The bars on Hennepin Avenue.”
With what people are you most likely to be seen?
“For better or for worse, for richer or poorer, my own kind: theater folk. The ones who create ensemble-based theater, and many of whom fancy themselves clowns.”
Where were you born?
“Manhattan, but I grew up on Sanibel Island, Florida. I wasn’t too enthralled with it as a kid, but I enjoy having romantic memories of it now.”
What neighborhood do you live in now?
“Downtown East, and I love it.”
What’s your ride?
“Mostly bike, and sometimes bus. My brother did the math, and it’s cheaper for me to take taxis whenever I want than to own a car. I actually don’t have a driver’s license, because I never learned how to drive. (Although I have gotten behind the wheel once.) I’m not protesting—it’s just at the bottom of my to-do list. Besides, I prefer to be chauffered! The scenery is so much more beautiful than the road.”
What’s the best way for someone to start a conversation with you?
“I’m interested in knowing what you care about. I like thought-provoking conversation, and I enjoy discussing with passion, so please don’t mistake me for being argumentative. If I watch TV, it’s at the gym, and I find the recordings of public hearing on C-SPAN way more energizing than shows like Everybody Loves Raymond.”
Photo: Joanna Harmon on the set of The Good Friend. Photo by Kate Waxon.
Comment