Directing Mission Statement
I direct stories that illuminate the beauty, strangeness, and complexity of being human — stories that are emotionally intelligent, visually expressive, and musically alive. I’m drawn to work that feels cinematic in spirit, deeply felt, and crafted with precision.
I’m not interested in preaching to the choir or checking boxes for representation; I’m interested in transformation — for the audience, for the performers, and for the space itself. I thrive in environments that value excellence, collaboration, and rigor over convenience or compromise.
I choose projects that resonate with my aesthetic: immersive, soulful, and finely designed experiences that merge theatre, music, and visual storytelling. My goal is to create work that lingers — that leaves the audience altered, reflective, and inspired by beauty.
Down front, center, and full of dreams.
Hot Summer Nights, A Chorus Line, CCM, 2000. This role shaped me—as a performer, a teacher, and a human. Happy 50th, A Chorus Line.
As Simba in The Lion King
As Tick/Mitzi in Priscilla Queen of the Desert — a role that changed everything.
Pietà by Graydon Parrish — I was honored to sit for this monumental work.
Bio
Joshua Denning is a director, performer, and educator with a career spanning international Broadway productions, national and international tours, film, and television. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Previously, he taught at Nebraska Wesleyan University and Houston’s prestigious HSPVA, where his work earned numerous accolades, including a Congressional Certificate of Recognition.
As a performer, Joshua has starred in The Lion King (Simba), We Will Rock You (Britney), Priscilla Queen of the Desert (Tick/Mitzi), and originated the title role in Daddy Cool during its West End workshop. His creative collaborations include work with Tony®- and Emmy®-winning, Oscar®-nominated director Julie Taymor, Oscar® nominee Richard Linklater, and Olivier Award winner Ben Elton.
Highlights include performing with Elton John at the BAMBI Awards, Broadway Dreams with Titus Burgess, concerts with Nicole Scherzinger, Tom Wopat, Rosemary Clooney, and Danny Glover, and an appearance in a Queen Latifah music video. He recently collaborated with Broadway choreographer Dominique Kelley.
Joshua holds an MFA in Directing and a BFA in Acting, and his contributions to arts education are featured in the widely used textbook Acting in Musical Theatre: A Comprehensive Course. He remains committed to creating bold, collaborative work that empowers the next generation of performers.