HOME | Joynesbitt

Writer | Director | Musician

Blood of my Blood

Premiering in the Upstairs Space of the Royal Court Theatre in London, UK, as part of their 70th Anniversary Season in 2026.

The Knife wins a Zebbie!

Virgin Media Short Film, The Knife, won Best Short Film Script at the Writers Guild of Ireland Zebbie Awards 2026

Faces (2020)

A short film directed by Joy Nesbitt

Blood of my Blood

Premiering in the Upstairs Space of the Royal Court Theatre in London, UK, as part of their 70th Anniversary Season in 2026.

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'This belongs to me as much as it belongs to you.'

Bullock Creek, South Carolina, 1862: Ginnie Good raises five children in a cabin as a war rages outside.

Today: A woman rents the cabin on AirBnB to conjure her ancestors.

Playwright Joy Nesbitt makes her Royal Court debut with this new play about complicated histories, belonging - and what we hear when we listen to the voices of the past, directed by Tatenda Shamiso (No I.D.).

Supported by the Concord Theatricals Unpublished Playwrights Award.

Blood of my Blood

The Royal Court Theatre - London, UK

1 October - 7 November 2026

BLOOD OF MY BLOOD

PRESS

BITESIZE FESTIVAL NEW WRITING AWARD WINNER 2026

"One of the biggest strengths of this black coming-of-age play is the viewpoint through the eyes of an innocent. The audience isn't being slammed with didactic messages about race and feminism. Instead, we get the powerful points that are made, but with intelligence, humour and grace."

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

— Broadway World, "Review: KÄTZCHEN, Riverside Studios"

BROADWAY WORLD

This Saturday morning, I am feeling deeply grateful for the cast and team of Blood of my Blood. We’ve just finished week 2/4 of rehearsal, and it has been such a blast. I have felt such deep love and warmth over the last two weeks that I will carry with me for a long time! Those folks in there are making something really special, and I can’t wait to share this play with audiences 🥹 Still can’t believe this is happening !!!!

Blood of my Blood has its first preview on October 1st 🥰

The gang goes to the Offies 🏆🏆
Thank you so much for the nomination @offwestendcom !!! Such a special night and a gift to be able to come together to celebrate such fantastic theatre in London!

More to come from Scenes with Black Folk soon… keep an eye out in 2027 😉😉

Written and directed by @makingjoynesbitt
Produced by Sophie Cairns @ballersoph
Part of The Camden Fringe @thecamdenfringe
Lighting Design by Abbie Sage @abbie.sage
Sound Design by Juliana Lisk @julianalisk
Assistant Directed by Eithne Garricks @eithne.g
Fight Choreography by Kemi Durosinmi @kemi.d

ONE played by Kennedy Jopson @kennedyjopson
TWO played by Ryan Yengo @ryanyengo_
THREE played by Joycelyn Manu @joycelyn.a.b.m
FOUR played by Jay Lafayette Valentine @laffytaffyette

Theatre for One is officially open at @barbicancentre !! Stop by the Barbican Centre any day at 12PM or 5PM between March 12-22, and you can see a free 5 minute one person performance! It’s a five star show!!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to @landmarkireland and @octopustheatricals for including my play, Dear Rosa, in the 6 plays chosen for this run. Big ups @tishe.fatunbi for fearlessly performing this text (and getting such long pink braids too 😚)! Such a huge dream come true to have my work on at one of my favorite arts centres in the world amongst some of my favorite writers!

Kätzchen 🐈‍⬛
A work in progress showing
March 8, 5PM
@riversidestudioslondon

Phoebe Zeitgeist arrives on Earth from another planet with a simple assignment: Observe human democracy and write it down. But Phoebe Zeitgeist has difficulty, because although she has learned the words, she doesn’t understand human language. She knows the words, recites them perfectly, and still has no idea what they mean.

In this work-in-progress showing, we follow Phoebe through an absurdist coming-of-age, wandering a world where Black femininity is treated as metaphor, symbol, and spectacle, everything except the plain truth of lived experience.

Be part of our journey and come give us feedback!

Joy Nesbitt - Director
Sophie Lenglinger - Actress
Abigail Sage - Lighting Designer
Nico Bowden - Creative Producer

WE’RE NOMINATED FOR AN OFFIE!

I’m so SO grateful for the fantastic team and collaborators we had on Scenes with Black Folk! It’s such a huge honor to be recognized for this one🥹

Congratulations and thank you to the whole team who, in true fringe-y fashion, were so generous with their energy and time to make this production a reality:

@ballersoph
@eithne.g
@sophiecairnsproductions
@abbie.sage
@julianalisk
@juskinka
@kennedyjopson
@ryanyengo_
@joycelyn.a.b.m
@laffytaffyette
@kemi.d
@thecamdenfringe
@camdenpeoplestheatre

📸: @judithritaphotography
Developed @riversidestudioslondon
Rehearsed @roundhouse.works + @theatredeli

Happy (Almost) New Year everyone!!
As I reflect on my 2025, a year full of unexpected successes and learnings, I feel so much love has come out of this year, and I feel it’s really important to take a moment on this last day to thank the folks who have been such enormous supports to me over the last year.

Thank you to my family for advice and clarity and support even when things seemed unclear.

Thank you to my partner who constantly makes me feel seen, heard, and safe.

Thank you to my friends who have lifted me up across oceans through two moves and lots of ups and downs!

Thank you to my collaborators and creative family who have pushed me forward and given me space to explore and play in new and exciting ways.

And I want give an extra special thank you to the folks who have opened doors for me that I never would have even looked at without them.

Huge thank you to Alison McKenna, who sent my play, Blood of my Blood to the open submissions at the Royal Court!

Huge thank you to Diane Borger, Enda Walsh, Anne Clark, Lisa Furlong Jones, The Lir, The ITI, Max Elton, Ben Ward, Gillian Greer, Darrell Miller, Tatenda Shamiso, Laetitia Somé, Joelle Mae David, Sophie Cairns, Grace Odumosu, Holly Griffith, and so many more folks who have been such spectacular mentors to me.

There’s so many people I can’t even tag or post them all but even so, big love to everyone and thank you for being there ❤️

Thank you thank you thank you

Here’s to 2026! Another year of calling in abundance! 🥂

—
@alison.mckenna.liepmann
@tatendashamiso
@misslees
@the__lir
@gilltopia
@bendy.walsh
@tatendashamiso
@irish_theatre_institute
@landmarkireland
@laetitiasome
@ballersoph
@grace.producer
@dundergrifflin

Happy Closing to STILT at Corrib Theatre in Portland, OR!
Thank you to Corrib for commissioning this piece, and thank you so much to the whole team for the artistry you brought to this weird little play I’ve written! I’m so moved to see that it resonated with audiences, and it’s been so beautiful to see the ways in which this production has truly cracked open a new understanding of the ways in which we tell ourselves stories to understand our traumas.
Big love to the whole team! 🧙🏻‍♂️🫅

Cast
TJ - Max Bernsohn
Chris - Jonathan Hernandez
Fiadh - Olivia Mathews
With brief recorded voice performances by Ruairí Heading and Tom O’Leary

Creative Team
Playwright - Joy Nesbitt
Director - Holly Griffith
Scenic & Props Designer - Kyra Sanford
Lighting Design - Kelly Terry
Sound Design & Assistant Stage Manager - Daye Thomas
Costume Design - Ahmad Santos
Dialect Coach - Denise Hoey
Stage & Production Manager - Colin Herring
Trauma Specialist - Rebecca Davis
Fight & Intimacy Coordinator - Kristen Mun-Van Noy
Assistant Fight & Intimacy Coordinator - Adam Mun-Van Noy

Photos by Elijah Hasan

Happy Opening Night to the cast of STILT @corribtheatre in Portland, OR!! Thank you so much to Corrib Theatre for commissioning my play and @dundergrifflin for being such a fantastic director!
Wish I could be there to see y’all spin that straw into gold 🌟

—

Stilt is a thriller that reimagines the Rumpelstiltskin myth as a modern Irish cautionary tale.

TJ is obsessed with uncovering his true birth name, which was lost when he was adopted as a child. His fixation with the Rumpelstiltskin fairytale leads him down a dark path, fueled by political extremism.

At its core, Stilt explores the power of names and how the loss or reclamation of one’s true identity affects selfhood. The play's themes are deeply intertwined with contemporary Irish life, reflecting the tension between the country’s historical and cultural legacies and the modern issues it faces.
Stilt is made possible with generous support from

Patty Gallagher and Stewart Kantor

Jennifer Besen

and

The Oregon Cultural Trust

Wishing the cast and team of my play, STILT, a very happy opening week at Alberta House in Portland, OR!
Devastated to not be there to toast to y’all, but so honored to have such talented folks bringing this dark fairytale to life!! Thank you so much for having the courage to explore the darkness of the manosphere through my play!

@corribtheatre
@dundergrifflin
@alberta_housepdx
@sauce.thing
@jhernandez_actor

The Knife won Best Comedy!! Thank you @reelsistersfilmfest for this huge honor! 🏆

After a month of HOLDING MY BREATH, the word is finally out! Blood of my Blood is premiering at the Royal Court Theatre Jerwood Theatre Upstairs directed by @tatendashamiso !!!!

It has always been a dream for me to make theatre in general, and it has been an even bigger dream for me to put my work up on such an acclaimed stage like The Royal Court. It’s so moving that this play, which honors the lives of my ancestors and the many Black women whose stories have yet to be written, is happening on that stage. I wanna give a huge thank you to the Baptiste Programme at @smockalleytheatre for giving me the opportunity and dramaturgical support to write this play.
Over the last two launch events for the season, I have found myself deeply thankful for the continuous support and good energy from my friends, family, and collaborators! Can’t wait to share it with you all! The little showgirl who used to put shows on in her living room is doing it big!

Wishing the team of 🧑🏻‍❤️‍💋‍🧑🏾Boyfriends 🧑🏻‍❤️‍💋‍🧑🏾 the best on a killer Irish National Tour ✨!! It was such a gift to return to the rehearsal and tech of such a beautiful piece by @ultanpringle If you’ll be in any of our stops, come out and support the lads on their journey all over the country! Best of luck family!

Upcoming Performances
An Grianán, Letterkenny: 10-11 October 2025
Belltable, Limerick: 15th October 2025
Roscommon Arts Centre, Roscommon: 17th October 2025
The Mick Lally Theatre, Galway: 22nd-23rd October 2025
Glór, Ennis: 30th October 2025
Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge: 1st November 2025
Backstage Theatre, Longford: 5th November 2025
Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin: 12th-15th

—
Following a three month affair between two anonymous men, Boyfriends, charts the ups and downs and roundabouts of a modern situationship. As they swing through four million one hundred and ninety one thousand possibilities of what they might mean to one another, through time, sex, Madonna songs, nightclubs, period dramas and calorie counting, Boyfriends asks us to ponder on that age old question: what the f*ck is romance anyway?

Following sold out performances in Dublin and Donegal in 2024, Boyfriends is back for an 8 stop national tour this winter!

Tonight is the night that we begin our conversation! Our ritual! Our exorcism!!!

If you haven’t already booked your tickets, there’s still tickets available for our shows August 19-22 at the Camden People’s Theatre!!

TICKET LINK IN BIO

Aug 19-22 at @camdenpeoplestheatre - a genre bending ritual play about how blackness is policed, performed and pushed to the edge.

Written and directed by @makingjoynesbitt
Produced by @ballersoph
Assistant Directed by @eithne.g
Presented at the Camden Fringe Festival

Written and directed by @makingjoynesbitt
Produced by Sophie Cairns @ballersoph @shiteprods
Part of The Camden Fringe @thecamdenfringe
Lighting Design by Abigail Sage @abbie.sage
Sound Design by Juliana Lisk @julianalisk
Assistant Directed by Eithne Garricks @eithne.g
Costume Consulting by Juliana Schmidt Tomazini @juskinka
Fight Choreography by Kemi Durosinmi @kemi.d

ONE played by Kennedy Jopson @kennedyjopson
TWO played by Ryan Yengo @ryanyengo_
THREE played by Joycelyn Manu @joycelyn.a.b.m
FOUR played by Jay Lafayette Valentine @laffytaffyette

#camdenfringe #london #londontheatre #theatre #blacktheatre #fringetheatre #fringe #blacklondon #camdenpeoplestheatre #camden

5 years ago, I worked my first job after college at a little festival in Massachusetts with a group of young theatre makers of color through Black Theater United @blacktheatreunited , and during my time in that small Massachusetts town, I learned a lot about myself and the way other well meaning folks see me. So I wrote a play that my fellow young theatre makers and Black Theater United helped me to feel empowered to write. It was my first real play. 🥹 That play has become Scenes with Black Folk, premiering in London tomorrow at the Camden People’s Theatre 5 years later.

If you’re around London August 19-22, please come see Scenes with Black Folk at @camdenpeoplestheatre and see what the play has matured into after much development and the generosity of artists in the US, Ireland, and the UK!

Written and directed by @makingjoynesbitt
Produced by Sophie Cairns @ballersoph
Part of The Camden Fringe @thecamdenfringe
Lighting Design by Abbie Sage @abbie.sage
Sound Design by Juliana Lisk @julianalisk
Assistant Directed by Eithne Garricks @eithne.g
Fight Choreography by Kemi Durosinmi @kemi.d

ONE played by Kennedy Jopson @kennedyjopson
TWO played by Ryan Yengo @ryanyengo_
THREE played by Joycelyn Manu @joycelyn.a.b.m
FOUR played by Jay Lafayette Valentine @laffytaffyette

📸: @judithritaphotography

#camdenfringe #london #londontheatre #theatre #blacktheatre #fringetheatre #fringe #blacklondon #camdenpeoplestheatre #camden

Book your tickets to Scenes with Black Folk! August 19-22 at Camden People’s Theatre for the Camden Fringe! Tickets are selling fast! Don’t miss out 😤

—

What are the rules of being Black? Who decides, and who enforces them?

Over four nights at Camden People’s Theatre, four “somebodies” take the stage, confronting the absurdity of racism and the heavy burden of self-awareness in spaces where simply being seen is never straightforward. Through a series of fragmented, heightened, and darkly comic scenes, the somebodies perform a ritual to reclaim their “somebodiness,” slipping between characters, tones, and timelines—unpacking the pressure to represent and revealing how race can be both mask and mirror.

The line between actor and audience is never secure. Neither is the line between truth and survival. In a world marked by rising racism and far-right ideology, Scenes with Black Folk offers a vital space to name the double consciousness of Black self-actualization in conversation with the non-Black gaze.

Unapologetically intimate, uncomfortably funny, and deliberately disorienting, Scenes with Black Folk is not just a play—it’s a confrontation. A ritual. A refusal to explain. And an invitation to witness what happens when Black people stop performing for someone else’s benefit.

—

Written and directed by @makingjoynesbitt
Produced by Sophie Cairns @ballersoph @shiteprods
Part of The Camden Fringe @thecamdenfringe
Lighting Design by Abbie Sage @abbie.sage
Sound Design by Juliana Lisk @julianalisk
Assistant Directed by Eithne Garricks @eithne.g
Costume Consulting by Juliana Schmidt Tomazini @juskinka
Fight Choreography by Kemi Durosinmi @kemi.d

ONE played by Kennedy Jopson @kennedyjopson
TWO played by Ryan Yengo @ryanyengo_
THREE played by Joycelyn Manu @joycelyn.a.b.m
FOUR played by Jay Lafayette Valentine @laffytaffyette

📸: @judithritaphotography

#theatre #fringe #camden #camdenfringe #camdenfringe2025 #blacktheatre #camdenpeoplestheatre #london #londontheatre #fringetheatre #londonfringetheatre

Camden Fringe is launched and so are we!!!
👀 Scenes with Black Folk by Joy Nesbitt 👀 is premiering at the Camden People’s Theatre @camdenpeoplestheatre on August 19-22 for the Camden Fringe Festival @thecamdenfringe !

Tickets available now at the link in my bio!

Starring Kennedy Jopson @kennedyjopson | Ryan Yengo @ryanyengo_ | Joycelyn Manu @joycelyn.a.b.m | Jay Lafayette Valentine @laffytaffyette

Direction by Joy Nesbitt @makingjoynesbitt
Produced by Sophie Cairns @ballersoph
Lighting Design by Abbie Sage @abbie.sage
Sound Design by Juliana Lisk @julianalisk
Costume Consulting by Juliana Schmidt Tomazini @juskinka
Fight Choreography by Kemi Durosinmi @kemi.d

Poster Design by Uzo Ngwu @uzotheartist

Stroke in the Sun by Nico Bowden @nicogashken
Starring: Chantal Mbadinuju @chantal.uju
Directed by Joy Nesbitt

Performed at the View Festival 2025
Mountview Academy for the Arts @mountviewldn
London, UK

Thank you @nicogashken for this beautiful testimony of love

Thank you @canadairelandfoundation for having The King of All Birds at the inaugural Bealtaine Theatre Festival in Toronto! 🕊️🐣🦅🐧🦉🦜🐦🐤
What a huge gift to share this show with a new audience!
Toronto - you owe us NOTHING!

Todays the day! Scenes with Black Folk at @riversidestudioslondon at 3PM! Come listen and give feedback. We’re gonna talk up to get down!
Ticket link on my story!

—

What are the rules of being Black? Who gets to define what it means to be Black? How do we have these discussions when we know a non-Black audience is watching? Scenes with Black Folk is a bold new ritual play that fuses absurdity, comedy, and raw emotion in its exploration of Blackness, identity, and racism in predominantly white spaces. Written and directed by Joy Nesbitt, this reading of Scenes with Black Folk is an opportunity to engage with an anti-trauma-porn exploration of identity in a world constantly in conversation about race.

In Scenes with Black Folk, four “somebodies” perform surreal attempts to name and confront their everyday experiences of their identity. With a heightened awareness of themselves and their audience, they navigate grotesque, absurd, and darkly comedic scenarios to expose the absurdity of racism, all while wrestling with their past, presents, and futures in this world.

Our bundle of joy is going to Limerick! Catch The Knife at Catalyst International Film Festival April 3-5! @catalystintfilmfestival

Thank you Chicago Irish Film Festival @chicagoirishff for including our short, Letter! What a gift it was to be able to come back to the states to share this lil gem with the Chicago community and my family! ✨

#chicagoirishfilmfestival #ciff

Tonight! Watch The Knife at 23:00 on Virgin Media One 📺!

If you’re in the US, get that VPN ready (4PM EST) ☺️🤠

Still reeling from last weekend’s premiere of The Knife! Thank you so much @virginmediatelevision and @dublinfilmfestival for having us! 🔪🔪

Stream The Knife on Virgin Media Player or watch us on Thursday night at 23:00 🫶🏾🫶🏾🫶🏾

Y’all boutta be sick of me posting about this short 🤪

Thank you @irelandamvmtv for having me on to talk about The Knife! 🔪🔪
Catch The Knife on Virgin Media One on Thursday, Feb 27 at 23:00, and if you miss it, watch it on Virgin Media Digital Player online. The link is in my bio!!✨
If you like the film, post about it and leave a review on Letterboxd for your girl 🤠

My short, The Knife, premieres tomorrow at @dublinfilmfestival 🔪🔪 I can’t wait to share it with people. I’m also terrified but aren’t we all 🙃 You can watch The Knife on Virgin Media iPlayer on Friday if you can’t make it to DIFF — thank you to my spectacular team, @virginmediatelevision , and most importantly to @grace.producer

Didn’t get a ticket to our DIFF premiere? DONT WORRY! The Knife is airing on Virgin on February 27th at 23:00 after The Tonight Show! 🔪🔪
All four Virgin Media Discovers films will be available to stream on Virgin Media Play from the 22nd Feb. Give our short a watch on play.virginmediatelevision.ie/, and I’ll have the link in my bio from Feb 22 for your viewing pleasure!
🔪🔪🔪👶🏾👶🏾👶🏾
#sharp #knife #theknife #virginmedia #vmdiscovers #comedy #shortfilm

Had the pleasure of (virtually) directing a reading of Gina Donnelly’s fantastic play, Anthem for Dissatisfaction, for the wonderful Solas Nua in Washington, DC! Thank you @gina_d0nnelly for trusting me with your welcome sucker punch of a play, and thank you @solasnua_ for having me on! Break legs on today’s reading @danidangerstoller and @nicholas.gerwitz !!!

SHE’S CROWNING 🔪!
Poster by @enemaku ✨

The Knife premieres at the Dublin Film Festival as part of Virgin Media Discovers! @dublinfilmfestival
I just have been patiently waiting to share this one and it’s finally here!!

“In Joy Nesbitt’s dark surrealist comedy, a young Black woman goes for her first pregnancy scan and discovers that her child is brandishing a knife inside her womb.”

Written and directed by Joy Nesbitt (yours truly)
Produced by Grace Odumosu @grace.producer
Produced by Keeper Pictures @keeper_pictures

Virgin Media Discover Virgin Media Ireland will be shown Friday 21 February, 17:15 at Lighthouse Cinema @lighthousecinema @virginmediaireland

Virgin Media Discovers is a competition that helps new and established filmmakers and content creators get their stories heard. This prestigious annual presentation at DIFF showcases the winners and their work before it hits TV screens later in the year.

Tickets Available here: https://www.diff.ie/programme/virgin-media-discovers

LINK IN MY BIO

Letter is coming to Chi Town! Thank you so much @chicagoirishff for including our lil gem of a short in your program. @grace.producer is a force of nature generally, and I’m so lucky to have made this short with her! 💌💌💌

Happy New Year! 2024 was such a gift and I got so many beautiful opportunities with beautiful people! So lucky and ready to take on 2025 doing what I love!

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