Education and Academic Interests

Dr. Johnson holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Theatre from the University of Missouri in Columbia and a B.A. in Theatre from Susquehanna University. He teaches courses in acting, theatre history, dramatic literature, script analysis, and theatre appreciation. Dr. Johnson’s directing credits include over 20 productions in Mercyhurst’s Taylor Little Theatre, including She Kills Monsters, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and Babes in Arms.

Dr. Johnson's primary research interests include stage directing, acting pedagogy, American musical theatre historiography, and Tennessee Williams. His scholarship has appeared in such publications as Theatre Journal, Theatre History Studies, Ecumenica, and The Grove Dictionary of American Music.

Dr. Johnson also serves as artistic director of the Mercyhurst Institute for Arts & Culture (MIAC), which oversees all artistic and cultural programming on campus. In recent years, the Institute has brought world-class artists such as Kristin Chenoweth, David Sedaris, and Audra McDonald to campus as part of its popular MIAC Live series.