James J. Johnson

Cynthia, an everywoman, has done everything right in life. She's a good person who leads with love, integrity, and strength, but is being a good person... good?

WANNABE is a hilarious, semiautobiographical exploration of the resilience of youth, friendship, and dreams across a rugged landscape -- the 80s and 90s.

Candace Littleton, a 71-year-old Northeast DC native -- tried and true -- is invited to appear on a popular local podcast. As a girl, she co-hosted a popular teen dance show. She holds memories of the night in April 1968 following Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination and the fallout that occurred in her neighborhood. Upon arriving for the interview, bizarre things ensue -- things that set Candace on an epic journey -- a race against time -- to right wrongs and to possibly change history.

A game night between two couples takes a dark turn when the host suspects one of the guests of sabotage.

Interwoven with hip hop interludes, this is a multigenerational solo piece that involves a son trying to figure out his place in the family continuum. And how to pass down the colorful history of his family when he doesn't have children.

An unprecedented traffic event leaves the DC-metro area gridlocked. Radio may be the saving grace, but in the age of technology and distraction, will anyone listen?

During the socially-distant pandemic, Evan goes on a first date with Shannon... on Zoom. He quickly learns that he is no match for Shannon's imagination.

When the media tries to take down legendary hip-hop artist and reality tv star, F'Sho, she is forced to keep it all the way real.

*a part of Theatre Lab's Dramathon 2022

A Sunday School teacher recovering from a near-death Covid experience meets with his sister on Zoom for his birthday. She has a surprise for him, but she isn't the only one with a surprise.

*Part of Theatre Lab's 2021 Dramathon.

Our Narrator enjoys telling your stories. His words give you power. All this changes after the sudden appearance of a mysterious vending machine which causes a huge stir. When the machine breaks down, the Narrator has to make a big decision.

*Part of Rorschach Theatre's Klecksography 2020

Kevin Gibson is a young physicist with the NIH. One evening while driving home from work, he encounters a police officer and gains a new perspective on laws.

In an effort to meet his neighbors in a gentrified neighborhood, Evan, a young, successful Black man, gets a dog. On a trip to the dog park, things go awry.

God and their angels are making the best of a monotonously patriotic situation. Answering prayers is hard, so they up the ante.

The District of Columbia, once the home to the art of Cool Disco Dan, is now unrecognizably gentrified -- and his legacy whitewashed. This story finds us at Cool Disco Land, a theme park built in his honor (?). This is a one-minute play.

Bryce is the first in his family to go to a college and his parents are all mixed-up about it. But what is he going for?

Inspired by the events in Charlottesville, Virginia that unfolded one weekend in August 2017.

Centered on a small neighborhood store in Front Royal, Virginia in 1989, "Fibers" explores how the closing of a local factory disrupts the life of the town. For store-owner Summer Payne this may not be a bad thing but change comes with a cost.

*First draft available to download and read.