Joe is a writer of Anglo-Indian heritage, who grew up in Gloucestershire and Devon, on a diet of Roald Dahl books, Beano comics and Nintendo games. He studied drama at the University of Exeter, where he co-founded Worklight Theatre.
Joe’s most recent solo play – Fanboy – enjoyed a successful run at Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2022 followed by a short regional tour and a week at the Soho Theatre in November 2022.
Labels, Joe’s debut solo show won a Scotsman Fringe First in 2015, as well as four other international awards, and has toured extensively in the UK, and abroad. His second solo show, Monster, premiered at Edinburgh in 2017, and has also toured extensively. Both had a limited run at The Wardrobe, Bristol in January 2020 and then again at the VAULT Festival in February 2020 – where Joe’s short, rapid-response piece commissioned for Extinction Rebellion’s ‘Decolonise; Decarbonise’ also played.
Following the cancellation of Edinburgh Fringe 2020, Labels was chosen to be a part of the Fringe alternative ‘Shedinburgh Fringe Festival’.
For screen Joe’s short film adaptation of Monster was optioned to SLNda, and he’s part of a writers room developing The Spores of Manitari for Storypunk. Joe has also written episode scripts for Pip and Posy (Magic Light Pictures), The Adventures of Paddington (Heyday Films) and Lu and the Bally Bunch (Lubird Productions).
Joe also works as an actor for stage and screen. His recent credits include Rain Man (Bill Kenwright Ltd) and Great Things Happen at Home (Brother Brother Film).
Joe Sellman-Leava is represented by Frances Arnold