Ever wonder how In The Heights and Bring It On: The Musical composer, Lin-Manuel Miranda, or Kinky Boots’ star, Billy Porter, made their way to Broadway? It took lots of dedication, hard-work, and late nights of rehearsing! Another component? Passion. The passion of J. Quinton Johnson is second to none, and can’t be denied by anyone that sees him perform. Whether it is on the stage like in his most recent performance as “Benny” in UT’s Department of Theatre and Dance’s In The Heights, or simply playing guitar and starting a sing-a-long of pop and musical theater hits with his friends, you instantly can see how much Johnson loves what he does. Learn more about his journey:
Name: J. Quinton Johnson
Major: Theatre and Dance (emphasis in Musical Theatre)
Year: Incoming Junior
Her Campus Texas: Where did your interest in theatre begin?
Quinton Johnson: My first interest started to sprout after a performance of “Phantom of the Opera” in Dallas, TX. At that point I was a basketball player transitioning into a choir kid. This was around my junior year in high school. I remember going into the theatre thinking “Man, musicals are so boring!” and leaving the theatre with a new passion in life.
HCTX: Where has theatre taken you?
QJ: Theatre has, most importantly, taken me to a heightened sense of self-awareness. I’m always conscious of how I affect people and why I am affected by my own experiences. And physically speaking, theatre has brought me here to Austin! I haven’t gotten out of Texas much with theatre (YET!) but I look forward to moving north after graduation.
HCTX: Was UT’s theatre department a part of your decision to go to UT?
QJ: I always had dreams of going to UT even before I found a love for theatre. As I started auditioning for schools, I came to realize UT probably wouldn’t be the best fit for me as a theatre artist. However, when it came time to pick a school, UT was going under a lot of revision in order to focus more on the undergraduate population. That pretty much sealed the deal for me.
HCTX: Are you in any other activities?
QJ: Most of my activities do revolve around theatre. I am also a musician so a lot of my extra activity is devoted to songwriting or learning new instruments. I’m supposed start on the violin soon so I hope that goes well!
HCTX: What is the biggest struggle and reward of theatre?
QJ: The biggest struggle for me in this field has to be the aforementioned heighten sense of self-awareness. It is easy to get paranoid about who thinks what of you. Especially when you are seeing some of these people everyday. It’s a rat race. Sometimes the pressure to impress clouds the real reason we thespians do this. Art exists to evoke an emotion. To have an affect on something somewhere. Even if it is on oneself. Personally speaking, evoking emotion is theatre’s greatest reward.
HCTX: Where do you see yourself going?
QJ: Where do I see myself going? That is an excellent question I’m not even sure if I’ve answered for myself! I know I want to move north after graduation. That’s about all the only definite I have at this point. Right now, my focus is to hone as many skills as possible so that when the opportunity arises, I’ll be ready to snatch it by the (long)horns!
HCTX: What has been your favorite experience or show you have been involved with?
QJ: My absolute favorite show to do was “Les Miserables” at ZACH Theatre here in Austin. It was my first regional production and it was so cool working with the devoted theatre professionals involved. Plus, I made a lot of friends who I really connected with and having such a close connection with the cast made working on the show even better.
HCTX: Anything else you’d like to add?
QJ: The only thing I would like to add is this. If you truly want to chase a dream, cut out all reasons as to why you can’t. Only allow yourself to think of why you CAN. But it takes patience and diligence. Masterpieces are not crafted in mere days, or weeks, or months, or even years. Strive for perfection, yes, but cherish the progression. Each step taken is a battle won.