Josephine Kearns

Josephine "Josie" Kearns is an American dramaturg, theatre creative, and gender consultant. She is best known for her work on Cats: The Jellicle Ball, which premiered on Broadway in 2026.

Early life and education Kearnes graduated from Roycemore School in 2001, where she was her class's senior speaker. She attended the George Washington University, where she received a bachelor's degree in theatre in 2004.

Career In 2019, Kearns consulted on a production of Guys and Dolls at the Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts at Northwestern University as part of Chicago Theatre Week. She has worked with the MCC Theater, Playwrights Horizon, Delaware Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare, Seattle Rep, Fifth Avenue Theatre, East West Players, and Royal Manitoba.

In 2024, Kearnes, alongside Bill Rauch and Omari Wiles, adapted Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats as a drag ball. Cats: The Jellicle Ball premiered off-Broadway at the Perelman Center, before transferring to Broadway in 2026 and winning three Tony awards.

Outside of her work in theatre, Kearns served as a Gender Program Coordinator at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago. She also was a research specialist for TransFocus, a consulting firm focused on gender diversity work, and conducts gender inclusivity trainings for schools, hospitals, businesses, nonprofits, and theatres. In 2023, Kearns was named as the Roycemore School's Distinguished Alumna and spoke at their graduation ceremony.