Joanna Rapoza Comedian from Providence, RI

Descending from funny but displaced New Yorkers, Joanna Rapoza was relegated to grow up in the humor tundra of Connecticut. In early 2011, though, she found her way back to Manhattan (where she herself was born), to spawn her own brand of comedy, first by taking a class at the legendary Caroline’s on Broadway, then gaining an affiliation with the club. Joanna spent a couple of years performing there, as well as at other top NYC venues, such as New York Comedy Club and Greenwich Village Comedy Club, where she had the opportunity to work with talented national headliners such as Vince August, Sam Morrill, Mary Dimino, and Darryl Hammond (of SNL fame). When the Connecticut comedy scene began to expand, Joanna appeared at the Hartford Funny Bone and Comix at Mohegan Sun, and performed in and produced many open mics and professional showcases, with both local up-and-comers and national headliners, such as Marty Caproni and Rodney D. Norman. She hosted, produced and sold out a 2019 charity benefit show at the Elbow Room in West Hartford, CT with international headliner John Moses, also featuring Comedy as a Weapon talents Kim DeShields and Tim Lovett. In July 2020, Joanna relocated to Providence, Rhode Island, where she’s long been performing with “The Don Rickles of New England,” John Perrotta, and his “Comedy Factory.” She also frequents the New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine, and greater Boston comedy scenes, where she has shared the stage with the dynamic Chris Tabb (CBS Comedy Scene at Patriot Place), and the legendary Lenny Clarke (Premiere on Broadway in Somerville, MA). In March 2017, Joanna received an honorarium from Eastern Connecticut State University, and was asked to be a guest lecturer for an accredited liberal arts college course on the topic of women in comedy. In January 2023, Joanna was interviewed by veteran Providence Journal reporter G. Wayne Miller, as part of an in-depth article on the benefits of laughter, to be published in February 2023, at Ocean State Stories, a new journalism initiative from the Pell Center at Salve Regina University. Joanna has a self-deprecatory style focused on the humor she finds in aging, marriage, parenting, and drug use. Sometimes she gets in touch with her inner granny by donning a white wig and doing stand-up as a cool old crone named Grace Whitestone.  No matter how she’s dressed, though, audiences love the smart and ribald humor of Joanna Rapoza. In October 2023, Joanna became the creator and main producer (With co-producers Patty Punch and Danny Gill right) of The Riot Act At Walnut Street Cafe, a popular monthly curated comedy mic that attracts both veteran and new performers. In July 2023, Joanna became the Director of Comedy for the Paul Santos Live Show, which tapes weekly in New Bedford MA and is broadcast on cable and network TV.