Joanna Settle

Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs and Social Impact; Arts Professor of Theater Affiliation: NYU Abu Dhabi


Joanna Settle came of age as an artist working in the downtown New York experimental scene. She directs and collaborates on the development of world premiere plays, musicals, operas and interdisciplinary work. After completing her graduate studies at The Juilliard School, she served as the Artistic Director of Chicago’s Division 13 Productions from 1998 to 2004 and directed and adapted 15 of D13’s 17 projects, including BLOOD LINE: The Oedipus/Antigone Story, two plays by Sophocles, Macbett by Ionesco, and several Samuel Beckett shorts including Cascando and Play. She served as Artistic Director of Shakespeare on the Sound 2009 to 2012, where she directed free outdoor Shakespeare productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Othello, Much Ado About Nothing, and Romeo and Juliet for audiences of up to 2,000 people per night.

She has taught and guest directed at Brown University, Bard College, Williams College, Juilliard, Cornell, Stanford University’s PhD Program, and served as Director of the Ira Brind School of Theater Arts at the University of the Arts from 2014 to 2016. 

Courses Taught