Joe Canuso is the Founding Artistic Director of Theatre Exile and has directed many of their shows, including A Behanding in Spokane, That Pretty Pretty, Mr. Marmalade, Red Light Winter, The Gin Game, Burkie, and Belmont Avenue Social Club, as well as the world premieres of Full Figured, Loves to Dance, The Philly Fan, Last Call, Amputation Nation, Cryptome, Big Blonde, Live at the Apollo Diner, and The Frankenharry Plays.
He was nominated in 2006 by the Barrymore Awards for Outstanding Direction of a Play for Killer Joe, again in 2014 for Annapurna, and this year for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. He was named Best Director in 2009 by The Philadelphia Weekly for Blackbird. He was nominated as Best Director for a Phindie Award for The North Plan in 2013. He was part of Exile’s Barrymore Award-winning ensemble for Glengarry Glen Ross in 2007 and has performed internationally in London, Prague, and Italy.