A professional director, producer, actor, writer, and musician, Mr. Johnson has headed entertainment production companies as executive director and artistic director. He has directed, acted, and served as dance and fight choreographer for plays by Shakespeare, Chekhov, Webster, and Feydeau as well as many original and contemporary plays and musicals, including The Duchess of Malfi, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Rags to Riches, The Wedding, Romeo and Juliet, Two Slatterns and a King, The Dragon, Guys and Dolls, Mr. Toad Rides Again, The Doctor and the Devils, U.S.A., You Can’t Take It With You, Love and Soft Music, HMS Pinafore, The Pied Piper, The Elephant Man, The Bluebeard, and Three In a Bath.
Mr. Johnson studied dance with Martha Graham, Jose Limon, Carlton Johnson, Paul Draper, William Bales and Ruth Beckford. He studied judo with Professor William Montero Sr., and Senshin Budo karate with Jeremiah Tobin. He has directed, taught, or performed for the Old Globe Theatre, the Folger Theatre, American Conservatory Theatre, the USO, California Actors Theatre, Mt. Hope Estate, William Shakespeare Road Company, LA County Parks, Junior League, Sterling Renaissance Festival, Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, JP Nightingale, Hollywood Bowl, Franklin Institute, McCabes Guitar Shop, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Knott’s Berry Farm, Frontier Village, Yosemite National Park, and for a decade produced exclusive interactive entertainment for Hersheypark and Christmas Candy Lane.
Mr. Johnson has created unique, interactive improvisation performances for many fine resorts and companies including Skytop Lodge, Hotel Hershey, Sagamore, Wheatland, Ahwahnee Hotel, Webster Bank, Morgan Stanley, Merck, Saks Fifth Avenue, Massanutten, Longwood Gardens, Coolfont, Canaan Valley, Wintergreen Resort, Black Point Inn, American House Hotel, York Harbor Inn, Belle Grove Mansion, Wayside Inn, Buck Hotel, Bryce Mountain, Park City Center, Timberline Lodge, and SMG. A songwriter at BMI, his tunes have been recorded by Joe Walsh, Melba Moore, Gene McDaniels, Merry Clayton, Nancy Wilson, and the Floaters. A produced playwright, published poet, and prolific screenwriter, Mr. Johnson has written, produced and directed dozens of film, video, and audio projects, and has performed as voice and on-camera talent for national and regional companies including the Boston Red Sox, NFL Films, League of Legends (original Gangplank, Taric, Heimerdinger), NESN, Fleer, Cox Broadcasting, Crayola, Black & Decker, Harley Davidson, Mercedes, Kelly Tire, AAA, LL Bean, Goodwill, Farmers Trust, Lockheed, Hershey, and Prevention Magazine. He directed and co-wrote The Perfect Woman, which was a nominee for NH Film of the Year in 2014.
He co-created and has presented TACT interpersonal communication workshops for persons in law enforcement, medicine, hospitality, sales, recreation, education, and for corporate executives. He has narrated and provided character voices for acclaimed documentary films including Shadows Fall North, The People’s Forest, Front Wards Back Wards, and Celia Thaxter’s Island Garden, which he also edited. Mr. Johnson has directed over a thousand acclaimed educational performances, improvisations, and workshops for elementary schools, secondary schools, and universities in VA, CA, PA, NJ, NY, MD, CT, ME, NH, including James Madison University, San Jose State University, Shenandoah University, Millersville University, and SUNY. He continues to teach improvisation, on-camera, voice and stage acting, coach public speakers, conduct performance workshops, and develop entertainments. His most cherished accomplishment is having raised four children as a single father.