Josephine Kearns
American theatre artist
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Early life and education
Kearnes graduated from Roycemore School in 2001, where she was her class's senior speaker.[2] She attended the George Washington University, where she received a Bachelor's degree in Theatre in 2004.[3]
Career
In 2019, Kearns consulted on a production of Guys and Dolls at the Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts at Northwestern University as part of Chicago Theatre Week.[4][5] She has worked with the MCC Theater, Playwrights Horizon, Delaware Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare, Seattle Rep, Fifth Avenue Theatre, East West Players, and Royal Manitoba.[1] In 2022, Kearns co-curated the inaugural Breaking the Binary Theatre Festival.[6]
In 2024, Kearnes, alongside Bill Rauch and Omari Wiles, adapted Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats as a drag ball. Cats: The Jellicle Ball premiered off-Broadway at the Perelman Center, before transferring to Broadway in 2026 and winning three Tony awards.[7][8][9]
Outside of her work in theatre, Kearns served as a Gender Program Coordinator at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago. She also was a research specialist for TransFocus, a consulting firm focused on gender diversity work, and conducts gender inclusivity trainings for schools, hospitals, businesses, nonprofits, and theatres.[2]
Awards and distinctions
In 2020, she was named a 'person to watch' by American Theatre Magazine.[10][11] In 2023, Kearns was named as the Roycemore School's Distinguished Alumna and spoke at their graduation ceremony.[2]
According to Andrea Prestinario, co-founder of Ring of Keys, Kearns is the only theatre creative in the United States with gender consulting as her primary focus.[11]
Personal life
Kearns is polyamorous. She has a wife and two kids.[12]