ACTING PORTFOLIO
Joan can often be seen portraying...
•The tragic, noble heroine
•The good-natured best friend
•The sarcastic cynic with a drink in their hand
•The lovable dumbass
•Many of these roles at once...
Lady Macbeth in Macbeth
Constellation Shakespeare Collective, 2025
"Macbeth’s relative inaction was countered in a standout performance by Joan Raube-Wilson as Lady Macbeth. Precise and thoughtful, Lady Macbeth had very little fear, and turned that into a pragmatic practicality that found both surprising comedy and deep pathos...during the sleepwalking scene, Raube-Wilson brilliantly replayed many of the gestures from their earlier intimacy, only now in a solo scene: using her hand to pull her own head towards an unseen focal point, grasping at hands that weren’t there, trying to lead someone around the space but finding them absent, and falling into distress and ungodly shrieks of loneliness. Raube-Wilson did more than many Lady Macbeths I’ve seen to find a cohesive connection between the physical relationship of husband and wife in the early scenes, and her isolation in her final appearance." (Peter Kirwan, The Bardathon)
Photography by Ariel Tatum
Clarinda, Lamure, Nicusa, and others in The Sea Voyage
Constellation Shakespeare Collective, 2025
"Raube-Wilson turned what could have been a Miranda parody into a deeply ethically motivated woman, who saw Albert and immediately started questioning her mother’s entire attitude towards men, taking control and snapping at her fellow women. Clarinda was unencumbered by baggage, and responded to everything she was told with an open-hearted trust that was also desperately moving...The transformation in Clarinda was the production’s most profound character point, turning a romp into – from at least one character’s perspective – something approaching a coming-of-age tragedy."
Photography by Ariel Tatum
Bianca, Biondello, Baptista, and others in The Taming of the Shrew
Mortal Fools Collective, 2025
“The breakout star of the show, though, was Biondello. Played by Raube-Wilson with thick glasses and breathless wonder, Biondello was the production’s beating heart, almost a conscientious objector to the whole project of extreme doubling and disguises....In an unscripted moment while Raube-Wilson was playing another character, Biondello’s glasses at one point fell onto the floor and were stepped on by Tranio, prompting distressed reactions from the audience. When Raube-Wilson picked the glasses back up to become Biondello again, she rubbed her head in confused pain. Aside from the genius of the improvisation, the moment drew attention to the skill of the actors trying to keep this play going against all odds – and winning.”
Photography by Ariel Tatum
Olga deVelaris in Anima
MBU Shakespeare & Performance, 2025
"The beating heart of Anima is clearly Olga, and Raube-Wilson's portrayal allowed it to fuel every moment. Her Olga was a raw nerve, assured and put-together, but with her own vulnerabilities that could allow the whole house of cards to come tumbling down with enough pressure."
Photography by Ariel Tatum
Jaques & Oliver in As You Like It
MBU Shakespeare & Performance, 2024
"[Raube-Wilson's] Jaques was a deliberately needling presence, a goth lesbian who encouraged Amiens to play “Love Shack” to the bar’s delight, before cutting it off and regaling them with a brilliantly committed acapella rendition of Alanis Morissette’s “All I Really Want” (as music director, Raube-Wilson’s needle-drops were pitch-perfect). But Jaques' acid tone was rooted in a pain that came through clearly during her "All the world's a stage" speech, during which she welled up with tears as she moved onto old age and death..."
Photography by John Simmins
Some more of Joan's favorite onstage moments...
