Coach / Educator / Filmmaker / Writer / Dreamer
Joy Morris
Joy has been coaching the 'Morris Technique' for more than thirty years. She is recognized all across the USA, and in Latin American. Through this method, she has helped actors become better at their craft. In addition to teaching actors, she has coached executives in all walks of life, helping them to communicate better, be more expressive and to be more productive. Here is her story:
The Dreamer
In the early 70’s Joy decided to pursue her dream to live her life as she imagined it to be and to have a career in Hollywood. She drove across country to Los Angeles, leaving her Southern home behind and began her adventures in the world of theater and art.
Educator and Coach
While married to the renowned acting coach, Eric Morris, she trained for five years before beginning her teaching career. She taught exclusively at 'The Morris Acting Studio' for fifteen years. During this period, she co-founded The American New Theater.
Joy also taught a directors class at the University of Southern California. Her class included techniques on how to work with actors, how to get what the director needs and at the same time, be sensitive to exposure of the actor.
She moved to New York in the early nineties where she continued a busy life of teaching. she opened her own studio on Eighth Avenue where she continued to teach acting classes. In 1994, a young actor called Leonardo Sparaglia from Buenos Aires asked her to do a seminar in his country. The experience proved to be one of the best in her life and as a result she returned every year to teach hundreds of students in Argentina until she left Jackie Kruguer in charge in 2010.
Today, she conducts seminars in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, San Francisco, Washington, Chicago and most of major cities across the states.
Filmmaker and Writer
• Joy co-wrote, co-directed and was executive producer for the feature film, “The Night of the Coyote”.
• While she was living in New York, she produced and directed over one hundred showcases for agents and casting directors. She also directed more than twenty plays, including her own, called “Who’s Got The Edge”, a story about friends and competition, that played at The Madison Avenue Theater starring Rodney Rowland and Mark Mathieson.
• Joy has written two books on acting. “For The Love Of It” is used in many schools across the country, the Spanish version is used in Latin America.
• Her book “My Little Black Book Of Acting” is an easy guide for actors.
The Morris Technique
Joy’s technique takes its origins from the philosophy of the Russian acting teacher and director, Constantin Stanislavski. Lee Strasburg brought the ideas to the US, forming “The Group Theater” in New York City. Her work is greatly influenced by the teachings of Dr. Carl Jung’s theories. She emphasizes the different archetypes in our personality and the truth of self-expression.
