JOSH POHJA (he/him) is a graduate of the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama for Acting during the residency of the Moscow Art Theatre; Anatoly Smeliansky, Andrei Șerban, Natalia Fedorova, as well as Bulgarian director Mladen Kiselov, Ibsen Scholar Brian Johnston, Victoria Santa Cruz, Gregory Lehane, Don Marinelli, and Don Wadsworth. These scholars and teachers shaped his love for re-imagining classical theatre. Josh is also a proud alumni of the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and  Saratoga International Theatre Institute (SITI) under the guidance of Anne Bogart and the SITI Company. 

He co-founded Vanguard Productions with George Lorimer and has taken on the role of its Producing Artistic Director. JP most recently helmed Vanguard's critically acclaimed production of My Name is Rachel Corrie and Vanguard's annual audience favorite All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914.  In the Spring of 2024 his re-imagined version of Antigone at The Calvary starring Gregory Linington and Chantae Miller stunned audiences with its graceful minimalism. For Vanguard's APEX Reading series he has lead readings of Hamlet and Endgame. 

Other professional credits include assistant directing Milwaukee Chamber Theatre's production of Great Expectations. Also at Chamber Theatre, Pohja has co-produced and directed for its Young Playwright’s Festival. Other directing credits include Hamlet, An Enemy of the People, The Skin of Our Teeth, Antigone, Blue Stockings, Much Ado About Nothing and Julius Caesar for First Stage. Golden Child, She Kills Monsters, No Child and Much Ado About Nothing for Pius XI. 

JP also served five years as Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s Education Programs Coordinator and Basic Acting teacher. As an actor, Pohja has performed nationally with, most notably, The Guthrie Theater (A Midsummer Night’s Dream; dir. Joe Dowling), The Acting Company (Richard III dir. Eve Shapiro), Old Globe (The Full Monty dir. Jack O’ Brien), Alley Theatre (A Christmas Carol; dir. Stephen Rayne), Judson Church, HERE Arts Center, and NYC Fringe Festival. 

Visit vanguardmke.com for more.