Obituary - Joseph Reed Hayes

Joseph Reed Hayes, 71, of Henrico, Va., passed away suddenly on July 16, 2025. Born November 26, 1953, in New York, N.Y., Joseph received a BA in English from Lehman College, City University of New York, and spent many years working in publishing and radio in the New York area.

In 1995 he relocated to Orlando, after meeting his future partner, Jennifer Greenhill-Taylor, in a writers’ group online. Deciding to change careers as well as homes, he merged his love for theater and writing and set out on a freelancer’s path. He ran lights and sound for the Orlando Shakespeare Festival’s outdoor productions of “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and wrote the first of many feature stories for the Orlando Sentinel, Orlando Weekly and Orlando Magazine.

Residencies at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, an artists' community in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, offered him the gift of life-changing mentorships with writers Samuel Delaney, Douglas Coupland and Cornelius Eady. Taking Coupland’s advice to focus on what he did best - writing dialogue - he brought his first play, “A Little Crazy,” to audiences within a year. The character of Avram, an elderly Jewish man based on Joseph’s real-life Crimean grandfather, was played by the inimitable Paul Wegman, at the 2002 Orlando Fringe.

Other memorable works he produced over the next two decades included “Solos,” a history of jazz; “Destination Moon,” a dramatization of his own experience as an adolescent trapped in hospital by a mysterious disease; “Tom Waits for No Man,” the tale of a Tom Waits tribute band; and “If I Had My Way,” a story based in true Florida history about prisoners of war in WWII. His most recent production, “Mockingbird News,” went on stage just months after he had moved to Richmond. Joseph’s work has been performed for audiences from Florida to Canada, the UK and Italy. He has employed more than 150 actors, theater professionals, musicians, writers, and artists. His mantra was always “If you work with me, you get paid.”

In addition to his plays, Joseph launched a series of jazz and spoken word performances, collaborating with his genius trumpet-playing friend Brian Groder, pianist Tonino Miano, bassist Doug Mathews, saxophonist Jeff Rupert, bassist Chuck Archard, pianist Per Danielsson, the Cook Trio, and so many more musicians, along with poets including Gloria Munoz, Deborah Atherton, Aldo Alvarez, and Sharon Weightman Hoffmann, and fellow writers Julie Compton, Belinda Hulin, and Summer Rodman, all of whom became valued and dear friends. The performances took place in various settings, from large theaters to house concerts, even in Joseph’s living room.

He was deeply proud to have performed twice with his friend and mentor, composer and Beat poet David Amram, whose generous encouragement and example were forefront in all of Joseph’s performances. Through David he became involved with the Kerouac Project, organizing fundraisers on its behalf and supporting the resident writers.

The amazing Timucua Arts Foundation became his artistic home, where founders Benoit Glaser and Elaine Corriveau provide a nurturing stage for so many musicians and artists. There he presented new plays, and met the band that lived in his heart and mind and inspired so much of his later work: La Lucha, a jazz trio of musical prodigies, including pianist John O’Leary, bassist Alejandro Arenas, and drummer Mark Feinman.

In addition to music and playwriting, Joseph was passionate about food and the people who prepare it. He became a respected restaurant critic, writing reviews and features for Orlando Magazine, Orlando Weekly and other publications for more than 25 years.

One of his most memorable food adventures was the 2020 series of dinners to accompany the Orlando Science Center ‘s Pompeii exhibition. Eight culinary events, under the title Pompeii’s Table, challenged many of Orlando’s most inventive chefs to create meals that used the food available in Pompeiian kitchens.

Another passion, among many, was technology. Joseph was an early adopter of streaming technology, sending many of his music and theater events out into the world, years before it became the done thing. He edited his own videos, designed his own posters, and built and maintained a score of websites on diverse subjects, including The Burry Man Writers Center, a primary source of research information and freelance job leads for writers for nearly three decades.

Joseph is also remembered for his tireless support and encouragement for artists of all kinds. His advice to anyone starting out on a career in the arts was always, “Be audacious!”

Both his grandchildren heeded that advice, and their collaborations with him as they followed their own artistic careers gave him true joy.

He is survived by his life partner, Jennifer Greenhill-Taylor; son Peter L. Taylor (Jenn), beloved grandchildren Jennifer C. Taylor and Stuart C. Taylor; brothers Eric Bogert (Joy), Florida, and Carl Hayes, New York. He is predeceased by his parents, Henry and Veronica Hayes.

There will be a celebration of Joseph’s life and art in Orlando, Fl., later in the year.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Timucua Arts Foundation, World Central Kitchen or MusiCares, organizations about which Joseph cared deeply.