Joy Woods (born 1999) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her work on Broadway, where she has starred in "Six", "The Notebook", and "Gypsy", the latter for which she is nominated for a Tony Award.
Early life and education.
Woods grew up in Chicago, the youngest of six siblings. Music was a large part of the family; her siblings were musicians, and her mother was a dancer. Woods started formal dance training in middle school. 
In 2018, Woods graduated from Homewood-Flossmoor High School. She then moved to New York City to study at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, graduating in 2019.
Career.
Woods made her off-Broadway debut in the 2019 revival of "Little Shop of Horrors" as Chiffon and understudy for Audrey and Ronnette. In February 2020, she starred in the ensemble of the New York City Center "Encores!" concert production of "Mack and Mabel".
In 2021, she was featured in the virtual "Ratatouille: the TikTok Musical".
On March 14, 2022, Woods made her Broadway debut as Catherine Parr in "Six".
In the fall of 2022, Woods starred as Middle Allie in "The Notebook" at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. She then played Deena Jones in North Carolina Theatre's production of "Dreamgirls" in February 2023.
On May 2, 2023, Woods returned to "Little Shop of Horrors", this time in the lead role of Audrey. In doing so, she became the first Black woman to play the role off-Broadway. In the fall of 2023, she starred as Martha Mills in "I Can Get It for You Wholesale" at Classic Stage Company.
Woods reprised her role in the Broadway transfer of "The Notebook", which opened on March 14, 2024. Her performance of the show's 11 o'clock number, "My Days" went viral on Instagram, gaining over 3 million views. She left the production on October 20, 2024, and was replaced by Aisha Jackson.
Woods stars as Louise in the 2024 Broadway revival of "Gypsy" at the newly refurbished Majestic Theatre opposite Audra McDonald. Woods is the first Black woman to play this role on Broadway. She stars alongside her "The Notebook" co-star Jordan Tyson. The production opened on December 19. For her performance, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. It had previously been announced that Woods would star as Sarah in the New York City Center gala production of "Ragtime", but she withdrew from the production to star in "Gypsy". The role was instead played by Nichelle Lewis.
Personal life.
Woods identifies as gay, though she "dabble[s] in men every now and then."