Britta Johnson

Last updated

Britta Johnson
Born1991 (age 3233)
Education University of Toronto (BA)
Occupation(s)Composer, lyricist, playwright
Years active2009–present

Britta Johnson (born 1991) is a Canadian-American composer, lyricist and writer based in Toronto, Ontario. Her musical, Life After , [1] premiered at Canadian Stage in 2017 winning six Dora awards before opening at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego [2] and the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. [3]

Contents

Theatre career

Recently named one of "fifty women to watch" by the Broadway Women's Fund of America, [4] Johnson's writing credits include: Dr. Silver: A Celebration of Life (co-written with her sister, Anika Johnson), [5] Kelly v. Kelly [6] (with Sara Farb), and Stupidhead! [7] (with Katherine Cullen). In 2017, the Toronto Star called Johnson "Canadian musical theatre's next great hope". [8] Her work has been recognized by awards from the Playwrights Guild of Canada, [9] the Toronto Arts Foundation, [10] and the Toronto Fringe Festival. [11]

Personal life

Johnson and her two sisters were raised in Stratford, Ontario. Johnson's parents were musicians in the pit orchestra for the Stratford Festival, and Johnson has explained that she often spent evenings backstage during the musical productions. [12] She has a degree in musical composition from the University of Toronto. [13]

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Life After is a musical with music, lyrics, and book by Britta Johnson. Loosely inspired by Johnson's real-life experiences, the musical focuses on sixteen-year-old Alice Frank, who has to navigate life after the death of her father.

References

  1. "Life After". 2017.
  2. "Life After | The Old Globe". www.theoldglobe.org. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  3. "Life After". Goodman Theatre. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  4. "Women to Watch on Broadway". broadwaywomensfund.com. March 7, 2023. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  5. "Dr. Silver: A Celebration of Life". The Musical Stage Company. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  6. "KELLY v. KELLY". The Musical Stage Company. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  7. "Outside The March Stupidhead!" . Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  8. Critic, Karen Fricker Theatre (September 26, 2017). "Britta Johnson is Canadian musical theatre's next great hope". Toronto Star. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  9. "Musical Award Past Recipients". Playwrights Guild of Canada. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  10. "Britta Johnson - Toronto Arts Foundation". torontoartsfoundation.org. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  11. "Adams Prize for Musical Theatre". Toronto Fringe Festival. September 21, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  12. Chong, Joshua (July 19, 2021). "Making music no matter what – songwriter Britta Johnson". The WholeNote. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  13. "Britta Johnson • Maestra". Maestra. Retrieved December 5, 2023.