Javon Johnson

Javon Johnson (Actor/Writer/Director/Acting Coach/Producer)

Native of Anderson, S.C., and a founding ensemble member/resident playwright of Congo Square Theatre Company in Chicago. Johnson is also a member of The Dramatist Guild, SAG, AEA, AFTRA, an MFA graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, BA recipient from S.C. State University, and has served as NEA and TCG panelist.

AWARDS/HONORS 2009 Black Theater Alliance Award for Best Play (Musical or Revue), 2009 Black Theater Alliance August Wilson Award for Best Writing of a play, 2004 Black Theatre Alliance Lorraine Hansberry Award for Best New Play, 2003 New Professional Theatre Playwriting Award, New York City, NY, Jefferson Award Nomination for Best New Play, 2001 and 1999, 2001 recipient of the National Project Award sponsored by Pierians, Inc. Pittsburgh Chapter, 2002 Chicago's African-American Alliance Award for Best Lead Actor in a Play, 2001 Chicago's Black Theatre Alliance's Paul Robeson Award for Best Lead Actor in Play, 2000 participant at the Sundance Theatre Laboratory, 1999 finalist for the Allen Lee Hughes Fellowship at Arena Stage of Washington, D.C.,1999 Theodore Ward Playwright Award, 1999 Pittsburgh Playwright Award, 1999 Finalist for the National Play Award, 1999 second-place recipient of the Lorraine Hansberry Award, 1998 Lorraine Hansberry Award, 1998 Yukon/Pacific New Play Award, 1998 Kennedy Center Fellowship to attend the Eugene O'Neil National Playwrights Conference, 1998 Best One-Act Play for the American College Theatre Festival Region II Competition.

REGIONAL PRODUCTIONS (WRITER) The Lark Theater, Queens Theater in the Park and H.E.R.E Theater in New York, Grahamstown Festival in South Africa, Victory Gardens, Congo Square, ETA Theatre, Studio Theatre, St. Louis Black Repertory, Horizon Theatre, National Black Theatre Festival featuring Malcolm Jamal Warner, Stage 52, New Jersey Repertory Company, Yale University’s Heritage Theater, Dunbar Repertory Theatre, Kuntu Repertory Theatre, Jazz Actor's Theatre, Columbia College, and Pittsburgh's New Voices.

NATIONAL TOURS (CO-WRITER) “Married but Single” starring LisaRaye; “Things that Lovers Do” featuring Kenny Lattimore & Chante Moore, Clifton Powell, and Kim Whitley for BACI Entertainment. (co-writer): “3 Ways to Get a Husband” starring Leon, Billy Dee Williams, Lenny Williams, Shirley Murdock; “Cheaper to Keep Her” starring Vivica Fox, Brian McKnight; “Recipes for Love” starring Carl Payne, Paula Jai Parker; “Whatever She Wants” starring Vivica Fox, Boris Kodjoe, Richard Rountree; "Cheaters” starring Brian McKnight, James Avery, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Michael Jai White, Karen Malina White; “Men, Money & Gold Diggers” starring Carl Payne, Robin Givens, Miguel Nunez, and Terri Vaughn; “Confessions” starring the late Gerald Levert, Kelly Price, and Don DC Curry; and “Marriage Material” starring Tank, Allen Payne, Michael Colyar, T-Boz and Jill Marie Jones.

TELEVISION/FILM (ACTOR) Series regular on Tyler Perry’s The Oval. Other projects include American Soul, Boo! A Medea Halloween, Poor Jane, The Watsons Go to Birmingham for Hallmark Channel, FOX’s Shots Fired, The Mob Doctor and Prison Break, History Channel’s Six, BET’s The Quad and Let the Church Say Amen, MGM Barbershop 2, Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls, NBC The Temptations, Askew Films Dogma, SC Educational Television Porgy: A Gullah Version, and Morning Due film short CANNES Film Festival. Guest Star, Recurring, Co-Star on BET’s The Yard, STARZ Survivor’s Remorse, CW’s Containment, TBS’ House of Payne and ABC’s One Life to Live.

BROADWAY (ACTOR) Dave Robinson (Lombardi) Circle in the Square. 

REGIONAL (ACTOR) Jackie Robinson, Mr. Rickey Calls a Meeting (Lookingglass Theatre); Othello, Othello (Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre); Sterling, Two Trains Running (Geva Theatre), Mickey, Memoirs of a Junkie (Stage52, Los Angeles) Title Role The Stuttering Preacher at The Complex in Hollywood; Flip, Stick Fly for The McCarter & True Colors; Herald Loomis Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, for Baltimore Centerstage & The Goodman/Congo Square; Red Carter Seven Guitars, Young Ali, Ali and Wendell Bailey, Before it Hits Home for Congo Square; Sherman, Cryin’ Shame for St. Louis Black Repertory & Kuntu Repertory; Tone, Deep Azure at the Apollo Theatre for the NY Hip Hop Theatre Festival; the Provost, Measure for Measure for Pittsburgh Public; Asagai, A Raisin in the Sun for City Theatre; Guy, Blues for an Alabama Sky for Kuntu Repertory; Cory, Fences, Pericles, Pericles, Macbeth, Macbeth, and Joe, Pill Hill.

FILM PRODUCTIONS Heaven (writer/actor) a short film nominated for the African Movie Academy Award, directed by Chadwick Boseman (star of 42) featured in the HollyShorts Film Festival, Pan African Film Festival, Cannes International Pan African Film Festival and Martha Vineyard’s African American Film Festival. Other short films include Largo (writer/actor), No Ordinary Love (writer/director/actor/producer), and The Big Hit (writer/director/actor).

PUBLICATIONS Dramatic Publishing Company, Smith and Krauss of New York, and 2004 Publication "Seven Black Plays” Northwestern University Press.

FEATURED USA Today Weekend Magazine as August Wilson's protégé - May 2001, Black Voices Quarterly - summer 2001, and the cover issue of American Theatre Magazine - October 2002 and Black Mask - October 2003.

CURRENT PROJECTS Musical adaptation of E. Lynn Harris’ Invisible Life with original music by Ashford and Simpson. Numerous original works for screen, stage, and television.

CONTACT javon.productions@gmail.com