Jo Sanburg

Jo joined the faculty of the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance in 2018. Previously, Jo was a graduate assistant at the University of Memphis, where her emphases were Sound Design and Lighting Design. She taught Lighting and Sound Lab, and assisted in Sound Design, Advanced Sound Design, Projection Design, and Stage Management. Jo’s passion is sound design and composition for theatre and multimedia. She enjoys exploring unique methods for storytelling through sound and lights. Jo has been a sound designer for Henry V and The Comedy of Errors for the Tennessee Shakespeare Company, and The 39 Steps and Hay Fever at Theatre Memphis. She has composed original music for regional productions of Mary Zimmerman’s The Secret in the Wings, Naomi Iizuka’s Anon(ymous), and many of Shakespeare’s works, including The Merry Wives of Windsor, Henry V, The Tempest, Pericles, and As You Like It. Jo’s lighting design work employs her musical background through an instinctive understanding of pattern, rhythm, tempo, and beat. Jo has won numerous awards for her design work, including the John T. Spiegel Award for Excellence in Design, Ostrander Award for Sound Design, and the Southeastern Theatre Conference’s award for Excellence in Sound Design. Jo is a member of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology and the Southeastern Theatre Conference.