Playwrights, Composers, Lyricists and Authors

During her thirty-seven years as a drama teacher, Margaret F. Johnson produced much more than great shows — she inspired many of her students to become theatre professionals.  A few of her “kids” are now nationally-known Broadway actors, film stars, and backstage technicians.  Among them are Kathleen McNenny, a Broadway actress who was recently seen, with her husband Boyd Gaines, in Our Town; Scott Michael Campbell, a television and film actor featured in the motion picture Brokeback Mountain; Tom Valach, a freelance designer in the Palm Springs area; and John Shaffner, an Emmy Award-winning designer for many television productions and past president of the The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Margaret served as the Montana State Thespian Director from 1972–1992 and established the yearly state convention in partnership with the University of Montana.  She has directed over 190 productions, from children’s theatre to full-blown musicals.

Though she is now retired, Margaret continues to teach acting at the Osher Life Long Learning Institute at the University of Montana, and when her time permits, she accepts acting roles at the Missoula Community Theatre where she works with former students.  When she isn’t acting or teaching, she enjoys living in her restored Victorian home in Missoula, MT with her husband of fifty years and their “children,” Sissi, a Hungarian Puli, and Daphne, a 14 pound domestic shorthair cat.

For more information, please visit Margaret F. Johnson’s website.