McKinley Johnson

McKinley Johnson has been writing musicals focused on the African American experience for over twenty-five years. His musical – Clara, which examines the turbulent family ties of gospel great – Clara Ward, premiered in 2013 at Open Door Repertory. Also, first produced at Open Door was his musical Eye Of The Storm. The Black Theatre Alliance Awards nominated both musicals for Best Writing of a Musical, garnering “Best Writing” for Clara. At Open Door in 2012, Mr. Johnson directed his heartfelt musical, Train Is Comin`. It was the seventh production of Train, first produced in the nineties at Chicago Theatre Company, director Delia Gray.

McKinley’s musical Being Beautiful and Georgia Tom: Thomas Andrew Dorsey, The Father Of Gospel Music were produced at Bailiwick Repertory and received an After Dark Award and Jeff Nominations. He was commissioned by the Steppenwolf to compose and arrange spirituals for Harriet Jacobs, written by Lydia Diamond. Congo Square Theatre produced his musical The Nativity for several years, including a stint at the Goodman Theatre. He is the recipient of several Pilgrim Project Grants, a National Endowment for the Arts/ Theatre Communications Group Grant, an Arch & Bruce Brown Foundation Grant, a Franny Award for Excellence in Theatre – University of Illinois at Chicago Theatre and Music Alumni Association, and the Black History Commission/ Touchstone Theatre.

He is a theatre graduate of Howard University (BFA) and University of Illinois at Chicago (MA). Presently, he is a full-time faculty member at Dominican University.