Artist Bio

Joseph Primes

(Bio as of July 2022)

Joseph Primes (Darkling) is a Cleveland, Ohio native who now resides in Chicago. He attended Texas Tech University and Howard University before returning home to start a career and family. Primes spent many years as an activist and mentor before starting a career as an educator in the Euclid and East Cleveland school district. As a performance poet, he appeared with Vince Robinson and the jazz poets and the underground Hip Hop group, Chop Shop. Theater credits include works at Cleveland’s Public Theatre, Karamu, Ensemble, Great Lakes and more. An award winning actor and producer, Primes produced the film #50 Fathers and the web series Seeing Tomorrow. He has worked at Steppenwolf, Court Theatre, Definition Theatre and Indiana Repertory Theatre. Television credits include Chicago PD. He is a member of SAG-AFTRA and AEA.