Joy Donley (Founding Artistic Director) began free-lance directing 16 years ago, working with churches, junior-high and high schools, and college theatre programs. She holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Bethel College (now Bethel University) in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 2002, Joy founded Front Porch Theatre and produced and directed the critically acclaimed drama Thirst at the Minnesota Fringe Festival. Since then, Front Porch Theatre has been performing annually at the Fringe. In the past 3 years, Joy has directed back-to-back Top 10 Fringe attendance hits: Amnesiac Jack, Nibblers: a Musical with Sharks and Seussical, the Musical.

Aside from Front Porch Theatre, Joy is the resident theatre director for Concordia Academy in Roseville, Minnesota, where she most recently directed Titanic the Musical with a cast of 85 students and faculty. She has won two "Community Engagement Awards" for Concordia Academy from the Hennepin Theatre Trust's SpotLight Musical Theatre program. Joy produced the high-school touring show musical, Don’t Lose This, with the Refreshment Committee Theater Company. She also acted with the company for many years in productions including The Gifts of the Magi, An Ideal Husband, Opal, and Brook Berry’s Hot Under the Collar.

Joy is happily married to FPT’s musical director, Michael Pearce Donley, and has 2 young children, Emma and Lewis, both of whom create their own theatrics every day.
Contact Joy at
Joy@frontporchtheatre.com
Michael Pearce Donley (Musical Director) co-wrote the hit comedy Triple Espresso, which has been seen in 35 cities in 6 countries by over 1.5 million people. In the past few years, Triple Espresso has been seen in the West End of London, and has toured Ireland, breaking records in Dublin. In 2006, the first non-English speaking versions have taken place in Germany and Belgium. Michael has performed the role of Hugh Butternut over 2,600 times, disproving the theory that his face would freeze that way. He’s also performed in the Twin Cities in Forever Plaid and Pump Boys and Dinettes.

For Front Porch, Michael co-wrote the hit show Nibblers: a Musical with Sharks with his friend Brook Berry. He musically directed Seussical the Musical and acted in Thirst.

Michael also appears as a concert artist and corporate entertainer, and leads worship at his church and other local churches. He wrote many songs for the children’s recording series G.T. and the Halo Express. Michael has worked with his wife Joy on many theatrical productions, but their favorite collaboration is in the raising of their 2 kids, Emma and Lewis.