Joy Play Heart Productions is dedicated to the belief that our youngest audiences deserve the most thoughtful, innovative, and imaginative storytelling. Based in the DC area, we serve as a dual-purpose creative hub: producing high-quality, joyful productions for young children and their families, and serving as a unique incubator for new TYA and TVY scripts. With over 25 years of experience in new play development and producing, we bring a seasoned, heart-centered approach to every project. We are committed to championing artists at every turn, centering their voices through both the development and production process. Because every piece has different needs, we provide tailor-made development processes - each one carefully shaped to meet the specific vision of the artist, the stage of development, and the requirements of the show. In everything we do, from the first seed of an idea to the final performance, we value collaboration, kindness, and creativity—and remain dedicated to centering joy, play, and heart.
Executive Producer
Michelle Kozlak (she/her) is a veteran arts professional with expertise in theatre for young audiences, arts education, and performing arts management. Throughout her career, she has worked with organizations both large and small—from managing multi-million-dollar programs at major institutions to building a non-profit theatre from the ground up. Michelle launched her career at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where she initially oversaw national touring and new work development for Theater for Young Audiences (TYA). As Manager of Theater Programming, she served as General Manager for the Tennessee Williams Explored festival and major productions including Mister Roberts and Mame with Christine Baranski. For 17 seasons, she was the casting director for the Kennedy Center’s TYA program, providing casting for all in-house productions, national tours, and the New Visions/New Voices new play development program.
A pioneer in the field of TVY in the United States, Michelle founded Arts on the Horizon, a theatre company specifically designed for an audience of children ages 0-6. As Producing Artistic Director, she led the company’s vision, strategy and implementation, overseeing all artistic and educational programming, fundraising, and financial management. Under her leadership, the company produced 27 world premieres and earned 10 Helen Hayes Award nominations.
Most recently, from 2024 to fall of 2025, Michelle returned to the Kennedy Center as the Producing Director of Theater for Young Audiences, providing artistic and administrative leadership for one of the nation’s most prominent TYA programs.
Currently, Michelle is an independent TVY and TYA producer and an arts management consultant. She is thrilled to continue supporting playwrights through the new work development process here in the DC metro area through this new venture.
