Joni Ravenna
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A graduate of USC, Joni Ravenna is a multi-hyphenate: TV writer/producer, journalist, published author and award-winning playwright. She is also Co- Author of the book, "You Let Some GIRL Beat You?- The Ann Meyers Drysdale Story" (Behler Publications, 2012) which Forbes Magazine called "a stunning portrayal of one of today's legendary women's basketball treasures." In November, 2020, the Pipeline Book Adaptation Team selected it as runner up to the winner out of 1700 submissions. They are currently working on a development deal.
Ravenna was editor of the OC Woman section of Parenting Magazine from 2004 to 2014 while also producing the TV series "Earth Trek" for PBS National. She has had the honor of working with such luminaries as David Lynch, Forrest Whitaker, Sean Astin and Ally Sheedy. Other TV writing credits include: "Great Sports Vacations" (a 36 part Cable-Ace Nominated TV series for the Travel Channel), "The Donovan Concert, Live at the Kodak" for PBS, "Hello Paradise", (a 72 part series for KVCR -pbs), "Judy, Frank and Dean" and "Latin Legends at the Orpheus." Over the years, Ravenna has interviewed leaders in various fields including: Sean Connery, Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, Jim Brown, Jamal Wilkes, Julius Erving, Johnny Bench, Sugar Ray Leonard, Elgin Baylor, Bruce Jenner, Dyan Cannon, Kirk Douglas, and Brad Pitt to name a few.
Some of Ravenna's full length plays, include "A Brush with Fate," which ran at the West Coast Ensemble theatre in Hollywood where it garnered a Dramalogue nod, and "Beethoven and Misfortune Cookies," a commissioned work which was extended twice at The Odyssey Theatre (Hollywood, starring Ernest Harden, Jr.,) in 2013 due to critical acclaim. "Beethoven and Misfortune Cookies," was a New Works of Merit Honoree in 2016 and recently completed a run at Chapman University in Orange. In 2021, it was featured in the San Francisco Playground Festival starting Rayshawn Chism. Select monologues from the play are available through Smith and Kraus Publishers (Aug. 2021).
Her newest play, ASYLUM, was produced in 2019 as part of the New Voices Festival in Anaheim at Stage Door Rep.
Her published full-length, "For Pete's Sake," (Brooklyn Publishers under name JR Sussman) enjoyed a three month stint at the Chance Theatre in Anaheim, California where it was nominated Best New Play by OC Weekly. That play was a finalist in Playwrights' Circle National Playwriting Competition. Her One-Act "Sex, Love and The Premature Evacuation" was the winner of International Keepitcoming.com playwriting competition among others, and a finalist in the Strawberry Festival in NYC. That same year her short comedy "The Green Grocer" was produced at the Tulip Festival in NYC. That play is currently at the Baytown Theatre in Houston, TX.
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Another commission for Ravenna came from The Black Rock Center for the Arts, which hired her to write a play teaching Elementary school students math through music. That play, "Jack of Hearts" was performed throughout Maryland School District and throughout the Palm Springs Unified School District.
Her newest play, TUCKED AWAY, about modern-day slavery, was a finalist in the 2024 Full Circle Players Emerging Artists Competition.
In 2016, her One Act, "Twisted," was produced at the Hudson Theatre in Hollywood as part of the 2 Cents Ink Acting Out Fest. Her newest full length play, "Blinded," received a staged reading at the Theatre For The New City in NYC on June 6th, 2016, (under the name "Blind Ambition") where it was directed by Broadway Veteran, Larry Cahn. In 2017, her new play, "Blinded," received its world premier in North Hollywood at The Brickhouse Theatre where it was produced by John Lant, and received rave reviews from the press.
Joni is also currently working on a Broadway-bound musical called 'THE MANAGER.' It's the true story as told to Ravenna by Greg McDonald, whom the press called "The bastard son of Colonel Parker" (Elvis' Manager). The Manager received a full staged reading on May 19, 2019 at the 360 seat Claire Trevor Theatre at UCI (University of California at Irvine.)
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In February of 2020 "Beethoven and Misfortune Cookies was part of Black History Month at San Diego Performing Arts University.
REVIEWS
BEETHOVEN AND MISFORTUNE COOKIES "There is little more satisfying than a story in which a seemingly insignificant line or circumstance that develops the character turns out to be an integral piece of the plot. Like Beethoven's great structural masterpieces, Ravenna has written a play wherein motifs and refrains underscore the integrity of the work as a whole."
- Sheana Ochoa, SLAM/GoodReads
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"BEETHOVEN AND MISFORTUNE COOKIES teaches you to take the sour notes in life and tweak them in your favor."
- Shari Barrett, Broadway World
"Exquisite! One of the best and most profoundly cultural shows offered to Los Angeles theater-goers this season."
- Bonnie Priever, LA Musical Theatre Examiner
"Spellbinding! Had me on the edge of my seat. I loved the fine writing of this one-man show. Ravenna gives us a jigsaw puzzle and made all the pieces fit by the end. She lapses and collapses time and Harden made it all flow seamlessly... His performance is a wonder to watch."
- Audrey Linden, Hollywood Examiner
"The play explores race, censorship, family, and the question everyone asks themselves at some point: Who am I?"
- Matt Harris, Tolucan Times
"Brilliant!"
- Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros, NoHoArtsDistrict.com
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"A riveting play...Masterful, with a breathtaking solo performance by Rayshawn Chism."
- Michelle Knowlden, WordPress
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"At our annual new works festival, we welcomed the chance to present a story about academic freedom, Black identity, and a man's journey to redefine himself while also accepting himself. Rayshawn is such an engaging and powerful actor, and Allison's graceful direction really allowed him to flourish."
- Eric Eberwein, co-producer, OC-centric New Play Festival (Chapman University - Orange, CA)
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"A powerful Black Lives Matter play,"
- Bernadette Armstrong, Open-Door Playhouse, North Hollywood
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"Beethoven and Misfortune Cookies was a meaningful and relevant play included in Virtual Theatre: Stories of Color produced by The Grok Acting Studio and The Rose Theater Foundation for the Arts. The play pronounces deep truths that we see occurring in our society today, and should be given attention to help raise awareness of these cultural issues."
- Sean Rose, The Grok Studio & Rose Foundation
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More Reviews -
ONSTAGE 411. https://www.onstage411.com/newsite/show/play_info.asp?show_id=3585
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TOP 6 PICKS nationwide Six Picks | Collins Center for the Arts
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FOR PETE'S SAKE
"In JR Sussman's new play, "For Pete's Sake" there's something of the fragility of life, the interconnectedness of all things, and the way that the dreams we hold most dear might keep us from enjoying the moment. Sussman's point is that shit not only happens it happens, for a reason. The best that we can hope for is to catch a glimpse of the way our life has unfolded, appreciate why things happened the way the did and to truly understand when to get the fuck out of life's way and accept loss forever. As the man said, life is what happens while you and I are busy making other plans."
- Joel Beers, OC WEEKLY
"The script moves at a quick pace through the compact piece, tossing out existential gems designed to prod us into questioning the humanity of a god as imperfect as we in his foibles and failings, interweaving profundity into lightheartedness in an irresistible mix."
- Ann Margaret Bellavoine, Northern Lights
"God could easily do a one-man show with the material alone."
- Stacy Davies - Orange County Register
"I dug it; it grabs you by the throat."
- Bruce Fessier, Entertainment Editor, The Desert Sun
A BRUSH WITH FATE
"A very entertaining look at the funny side of the Dark Side."
- LA Reader
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​BLINDED - from NO HOLLYWOOD / BRICKHOUSE THEATRE PERFORMANCE
" Ravenna’s smart new play, Blinded, is a light-hearted, but devilishly clever examination of the complex deceptions of love, its true meaning, and its ultimate possibilities through the lens of a dark romantic comedy...You know the old cliché Love is Blind, well in 'Blinded', it truly is hysterically blind."
- Latin Heat
"The Charm of the play comes from its familiar premise of deception and desire. It reminded me of the screwball comedies of the late 30's and 40's by such luminaries as Preston Sturgis and Howard Hawkes."
- No Ho Arts District Theatre Reviews
"Filled with black humor and funny lines, Blinded drolly looks at how love can make a person blind in more ways than one before finally opening their eyes."
- The Tolucan Times
"The writing was strong. I found myself involved all the way through, laughed often and was surprised with some nice twists... It's a fun show to escape reality for a little while."
-L.A. Art Party
"I really enjoyed the new dark comedy, Blinded. [It's] a wild and crazy farce with plenty of twists and turns."
-Scene Around Town
“Though set in the 50’s, the commentary on current events is lost on no-one. Blinded is brilliantly funny.”
-Word Press
