Joseph Anthony Foronda was a great American actor and an outstanding human being. He was both humble and larger than life, embodying the rare disposition of the rooted raconteur. Californian by birth, Chicagoan by choice, and Filipino by heritage, Joseph was the proud son of immigrant parents who found a home on the stage and a place in many hearts.
Joseph Foronda (left) and David Rhee (right) in Silk Road Rising's 2011 Chicago Premiere of David Henry Hwang's Yellow Face, presented in association with Goodman Theatre and directed by Steve Scott.
Joseph's career spanned Broadway, London's West End, national tours, regional theatres, feature films, and of course, Silk Road Rising.
On Broadway, Joseph riveted audiences as Lord Buntaro in Shogun, The Musical (1990) and as Samurai, Soothsayer, Storyteller, and Thief in Pacific Overtures (2004). But his most celebrated role was that of The Engineer in Miss Saigon (1996), which he went on to play across the US, and for which he won a 2009 Joseph Jefferson Award (Drury Lane Theatre, Oakbrook, IL).
Thank you, Joseph Foronda, for all the artistry, beauty, and kindness you brought into this world. Thank you for nurturing and mentoring generations of theatremakers. Thank you for showing us how it's done and for doing so with integrity and class. Thank you for gracing the Silk Road Rising stage with your signature talent and panache. And most of all, thank you for being our friend.
Joseph is survived by his wife, Laura, and their three children, Aaron, Macey, and Moriah. We send them abundant love during this time of grief and healing.
Heaven has welcomed home a consummate showman. No doubt, Joe's already putting on a show!
Memory eternal Joseph Anthony Foronda!
Joseph Foronda (left) and Erik Kaiko (right) in Silk Road Rising's 2008 Midwest Premiere of Julia Cho's Durango, directed by Carlos Murillo.
A Timeline of Our Work With Joseph
June 10, 2007
Performed in a staged reading of Durango, by Julia Cho
May 1–June 15, 2008
Played the role of Boo-Seng in our production of Julia Cho's Durango
October 21–November 1, 2009
Performed in the ensemble of Silk Road Cabaret: Broadway Sings the Silk Road
July 28, 2010
Performed the national anthem for Asian Heritage Night at U.S. Cellular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox
November 13, 2010
Performed at our Threads of Silk Gala
February 17-19, 2011
Performed in a staged reading of Paulus, by Motti Lerner
June 14–July 31, 2011
Played the role of HYH in our production of David Henry Hwang's Yellow Face
June 8-10, 2012
Performed in a staged reading of Mahal, by Danny Bernardo
February 7–9, 2014
Performed in a staged reading of Rumi: Love, Madness & Ecstasy, by Sheri Winkelmann
June 7, 2014
Performed in our event, Silk Road Rising Salutes: A Celebration of Reverend Philip Blackwell
August 4-5, 2018
Performed in a staged reading of Speaking as Then, by Ruoxin Xu
August 18-19, 2018
Performed in a staged reading of Sand on a Distant Star, by Stan Lai
A clip from Silk Road Rising's 2009 World Premiere of Silk Road Cabaret: Broadway Sings the Silk Road, directed by Elizabeth Margolius.
A Riotous Rendezvous with David Henry Hwang's Yellow Face
Actor Clayton Stamper (foreground) with Lydia Berger, Joseph Foronda, Christopher Meister, Tanya McBride (background from left to right) in our 2011 production of David Henry Hwang's Yellow Face.
Produced in 2011 in association with the Goodman Theatre and directed by Steve Scott, Yellow Face was a revelatory backstage comedy by Silk Road Rising's Artistic Ambassador and Tony Award-winning playwright, David Henry Hwang. This ferociously funny, utterly unreliable memoir chronicles David's struggle to define racial identity in the mixed-up melting pot of contemporary America. Part fact, part fiction, Yellow Face explored the pitfalls and promise of our "PC" world.
A scene between characters DHH (David Rhee) and HYH (Joseph Foronda).
You can help Joe's family by making a donation at https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-bless-joe-foronda-and-his-family?utm_s...