Louis Johnson

In June ’14, his play “The Lepers of Orchard Park” was produced in the Fade to Black Play Festival in Houston, Tx. Also in June ’14, “Remember This: Words from an Angry Young Man” had a staged reading in the Reverend Al Sharpton’s National Action Network’s Gun Violence Awareness play reading at N.A.N headquarters in New York. In August ’14, his play “Papa” was produced in the Stage Black Play Festival in New York City and Dallas, Tx. In December ’14, “The Nag” premeired in the “6’10 Festival of African American Plays” in Louisville, Ky. In August ’15, Colors of Community presented a staged reading of “A Bullet for Jenny King” at the Museum of Contemporary African Diaspora Art (MoCADA) in Brooklyn, NY. In October ’16, “Old Man Cleans His Gun” had a staged reading in the Shades of Black Theatre Festival held at the Darkhorse Theatre in Nashville, Tn.
He has written for The Rhythmic Lounge magazine and is the lead writer/co-creator of the web-series, “The Thrill of the Kill”@ likemindscreative.com. “T.O.T.K” was an official selection of Phoenix Comicon Film Festival 2017 in Phoenix, Az., May 25-28, 2017. In February ’18, Louis was selected to be a Fellow at the Tennessee Playwright’s Studio in Nashville, Tn. In November ’18, his play “NEC Compuncti: (No Remorse)” had a staged reading in the Tennessee Playwright’s Studio’s Fall Festival of Plays at the Darkhorse Theatre in Nashville, Tn. In May/June ’19, he directed his one-act play, “A Bullet for Jenny King” in ACT ONE Theatre Company’s One Act Wednesdays at the Darkhorse Theatre in Nashville, Tn. In January ’20, his new play, “Makin’ Bond” will have its’ first staged reading in The Fade-to-Black Reading Series in Houston, Tx. In January ’20, his play, “Makin’ Bond” will be produced in The Secret Theatre Company’s One-Act Play Festival in Long Island City, NY. In February ’20, he will direct his play, “Oh, the LIES we’ve told” In ACT ONE Theatre Company’s One-Act Play Festival at the Darkhorse Theatre in Nashville, Tn. Louis was a 2020 Finalist for the 2020-2021 Maison Baldwin Writer-in-Residence Program presented by Les Amis de la Maison Baldwin. Her films have screened around the world and are represented by Flourishing Films. Short and feature scripts have official selections at Slamdance, Silent River Screenplay Competition, and the Cindependent Festival. Other writings were published in Forum Magazine, Obsidian Journal, Alternative Litas, and Undertone Mag.
As a hood educator, she sits on the board of School of the Alternative, offering affordable non-hierarchical arts education. Classes on film studies are also taught in open virtual and public spaces to advance discussions on the future of Black cinema. The curriculum includes: SCREENWRITING ROOTED IN DECOLONIZATION AND ABSTRACT THINKING, THE PRINCIPLES of GOOD STORY, BLACK FILM as PROTEST, and the 101 ESSENTIAL BLACK FILMS are taught in open virtual and public space to advance discussions on the future of Black cinema.
Practicing "autonomy first," her artist's role is not to disrupt but interrupt the signal to noise, propaganda imagery, and missive narratives. But to center Black, Indigenous, and marginalized lives, experiences, and spirits. Her first feature, ELEPHANT, is in post-production. She can be found in San Francisco kicking around the fog.
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