April 8, 2022

Josh Goldhaber (they/them) is a graduating senior in the Pennoni Honors College’s Custom-Design Major program where they have created their own plan of study in Music Composition for Theatre. Their degree pulls from their longstanding experiences in the performing arts as well as coursework in music, theatre, and playwriting to craft the ultimate storytelling mechanism and tell new, innovative, and important stories. Originally from Guilderland, New York, Josh has found a warm and welcoming theatrical home in Philadelphia and at Drexel.

Josh is honored to have been involved with the Theatre Program at Drexel as a theatre performance scholar since their freshman year. They’ve performed in, accompanied, conducted, and assistant music directed (sometimes all at once!) for eight mainstage productions including: The Devil’s Auction (Cherub/Child Actor/acc./devising ensemble member), Mutant Water Babies (Man on the Tape/Piano man/acc./cond./devising ensemble member) with Collaboration Town, Godspell (AMD/acc./cond.), Be More Chill (Ensemble), Alien8 (AMD/acc./cond./arranger) with Ignition Arts, Playing Favorites (acc.), Anon(ymous) (Zyclo’s Pet bird/Ensemble), and this Spring’s upcoming production of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (AMD/acc./cond./adaptation).

Their work with the Theatre Program stretches far beyond mainstage productions however with continued engagement with the Directors’ Labs and NewWorks Festival workshops, Musical Theatre Cabaret classes, and the Advanced Improv Ensemble. They’ve also served as music director for five senior capstone projects ([title of show], Miscast Cabaret, Plaid Tidings, We Have Apples, Before We Go Cabaret) and three cabarets with the Drexel Players, an extracurricular student-run theatre organization on campus.

On their last co-op, Josh accepted a fellowship with Ignition Arts, acting as an administrative intern and continuing previous collaboration for past, present, and future theatrical works. This included arranging, transcribing, and other contributing tasks for the Infinity Trilogy by Kate Brennan and David Lee White, a trio of young adult musicals with a supernatural yet beautifully human lens. In their time with Ignition, Josh has functioned as a devising ensemble member in the creation of a new storytelling form, the Myriodrama, as well as becoming a published arranger for their work on Alien8, now available through YouthPLAYS.

Their capstone project, an original full-length musical with self-composed music, lyrics, and book, will see its world premiere in May. The Poly Play, a year-long endeavor now entering rehearsals, will feature an all-LGBTQ+ production and performance team consisting entirely of Drexel students and alumni. The project pulls together all Josh has learned during their time at Drexel in order to tell authentic queer stories and showcasing multi-dimensional, meaningful representation onstage.