IN progress

  • • Staged reading, March 2023
    • In development as a full theatrical production, and as the libretto of a new American opera.

    TEMPUS:

    The story of “Duke” Prospero, the deposed King of Swing; his rebellious daughter, the zoot suit-wearing, horn playing Miranda; her potential partner Fiona,  daughter of the rival bandleader “King” Alonso; Prospero’s magical muse, the mercurial Ariel; the rulebreaking sax player Caliban; Antonio, Duke's brother-in-law; Stephen, the insidious dreamer; and Gonzalo, the backstage instigator of a jazz/klezmer amalgam.


    O ne of Orlando’s most prolific playwrights."
    - Orlando Weekly

RECENT

THE ART OF FOODSee more

THE PLAYS    See more

  • SOLOS

    The Jazz Romance of trumpeter Ben "Blue" Miller and Ellie Grace. Winner: 2014 BroadwayWorld Orlando Awards, Best Lead Actress.

  • IF I HAD MY WAY

    "A fascinating mix of contemporary issues about class, race, circumstance and relationships against a uniquely Florida historical background." ~ Orlando Sentinel
  • 155x120

    WEST FARMS

    A worn man reminisces about an almost mythical drinking establishment near the West Farms bus depot in the Bronx. Telly Award Winner.

  • THE SHORT PLAYS

    From dramatic tales of childhood to fanciful encounters with companion birds and supernatural creatures

FULL PLAY VIDEOS   See more

DELIVERANCE

It is a city in the time of social isolation, and life is different now that food arrives at your door.

  • TOM WAITS FOR NO MAN

    A third-rate road musician half-way between last call and last chance, playing the songs of Tom Waits.

  • SOLOS

    The Jazz Romance of trumpeter Ben "Blue" Miller and Ellie Grace. A story as passionate as the music.

  • A LITTLE CRAZY

    The first production, performed at the 2002 Orlando International Fringe Festival.

  • A SLOW RIDE

    Three generations of women taking a Sunday ride, with the near-demented discord of family in close proximity for more than ten minutes.
A play by Joseph Reed Hayes is a welcome oasis of cultured smarts." ~ Orlando Weekly

FEATURE STORIESSee more

  • A Master's Tale

    Orlando Magazine
     | 

    Masaharu Morimoto reflects on family, culinary philosophy, and the restaurant realm that has him on a last-name basis with fans in Orlando and around the world.

  • The Reluctant Performer

    Orlando Magazine
     | 

    Like many writers, fiction author Ryan Rivas is more comfortable in front of a keyboard than an audience. “I carve time out to read,” he says of spoken word performances. “When I’m asked.

jazz ON EDGEshows and videos

  • Jazz On Edge 5th Anniversary Series/13in13

    For the year-long 13in13 Project, five very special shows were produced. Three appearances to launch the release of FluiDENSITY by Jazz On Edge regular Brian Groder, with pianist Tonino Miano, with a workshop at the UCF Jazz Studies program, then taking their students out to perform at Taste in College Park. Two days later the debut at the prestigious Timucua White House to a standing-room-only audience, where they persuaded Timucua owner Benoit Glazer to join them on trumpet. Jazz On Edge then took over Hannibal's Lounge in Winter Park for sold-out dinner show with vocalist Heather Friedman. Finally, nu-jazz quartet La Lucha became the live band onstage for a performance of Joseph Reed Hayes' play, Solos, at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater.

  • Edward Simon Trio & Tiptons Sax Quartet

    Jazz On Edge 2010 was the first Central Florida appearance of the Tiptons Sax Quartet – in fact, it was the first jazz show presented at the 299-seat Garden Theatre, and the only time internationally renowned pianist Edward Simon, a resident of nearby Orange City, had performed in the Orlando area, with his family in the audience. The weekend started with a free "Fridays on the Plaza" concert with the Fellsway Trio on Feb 5, and a free preshow performance by the Lakeview Middle School Jazz Band outside the theater on Saturday.

  • awards

    • Specific Cultural Project grant, Florida DOS Division of Arts & Culture 2021/22, The Hayes Project
    • Orange County Venue Subsidy Grant, Orange County Government, Arts & Cultural Affairs Program, through United Arts of Central Florida.
    • Five-time Florida Magazine Association "Charlie" Award winner
    • Winner: 2008 Telly Award, Best Independent Video Script
    • Winner: 2022 Orlando Fringe Festival Critics' Choice Awards: Best Director; Best Individual Performance — Drama
    • Winner: 2014 BroadwayWorld Orlando Awards
    • Community Foundation of Jacksonville Art Ventures Fund Grant
    • Two-time United Arts Professional Development Grant
    • Florida Division of Cultural Affairs Individual Artist Fellowship
    • Galati Research Grant
    • Awesome Foundation grant
    • Founder Word Play series, former Alternative Programming Chair, Timucua Arts Foundation
    • Creator, Producer, Pompeii's Table series in partnership with Orlando Science Center and Orange County Arts and Cultural Affairs Office
    • Creator, 13in13
    • Co-founder, Burry Man Writers Center
    • Creator, House Theater Project
    • Creator, Jazz On Edge music series
    • Three-time Artist-in-residence, Atlantic Center for the Arts
    • Director, The Company of Eccentric Beggars

CONTACT ME

playwright

55 productions and readings of my work from coast to coast and in three countries. Creator of live-streaming pioneer House Theater Project, the year-long 13in13, and The Hayes Project series of interconnected plays.

food writer

Five-time Florida Magazine Association Award winning food writer and Orlando restaurant critic for international travel guides. Former James Beard Foundation judge, knowledgable champion of world cuisine and avid advocate of undiscovered chefs.

freelance writer

As a writer on assignment, I've traveled to Italy, Scotland, England, New Orleans, California and New York City, with a specialty on all things Orlando. Whether it's a story about Arts & Crafts houses in Florida or new styles in computers, a Mounted Police squad or alien abduction insurance, I've written it. Environmental issues, music, movie and theater reviews and in-depth conversations with legends in jazz. Interviews and personality profiles are my specialty.

arts presenter

Producer of the Jazz On Edge series, spotlighting new and original jazz from Central Florida since 2008, giving creative hometown and nationally-known musicians a place to perform their own music, without boundaries, in person and online. Creator of the year-long 13in13 series of arts events, and Pompeii's Table arts and dining project. Founder Word Play series, former Alternative Programming Chair, Timucua Arts Foundation, presenting theater, spoken word, poetry, film, live-streaming video and word-based art in an alternative space.