Joanne Engelhardt is a former newspaper reporter who transitioned into corporate communications before returning to her first love: theater. Encouraged by her late husband, a drama teacher and actor, she began performing and soon discovered a passion for acting. Combining her backgrounds in writing and performance, Joanne became a theater critic, first for the San Mateo County Times, later for the Palo Alto Daily News/Mercury News, and for eight years with the Santa Cruz Sentinel. She has also written for online web sites Aisle Seat Review and Theatrius, and now contributes reviews to Theatrestorm.