Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia
Johnson, Melody
Actor, comedienne, teacher, director, born in 1983 in Oakville, Ontario, and grew up in Brantford. Melody Johnson graduated with Honours in Theatre Performance, Bachelor of Fine Arts from York University.
Over the last twenty years she has performed from Brantford to Singapore. She has originated many important roles in the Canadian Theatre canon such as the title role of Mercy in Little Mercy’s First Murder by Morwyn Brebner (Tarragon Theatre Extra Space, 2003, dir. Eda Holmes) for which she received a Dora Mavor Moore Award; Sugar in Trout Stanley by Claudia Dey (Factory Theatre 2005); and Olive/Eva in It's All True by Jason Sherman (1998). Other favourite theatre credits include: Morris Panych’s 7 Stories (Theatre Calgary/Canadian Stage, Betty Mitchell Award nomination); Our Town (Two Planks and a Passion Theatre, Merit Award nomination): Blithe Spirit (Soulpepper Theatre Company; Habeus Corpus (Canadian Stage); and The Seven Lears, Swollen Tongues, and The Piper (Necessary Angel Theatre).
Influenced by the work of Alan Bennett, Mike Nichols & Elaine May, and David Mamet, Melody Johnson’s work straddles the worlds of comedy and drama, and her credo has become, "There are two masks!" She is an alumna of the Toronto Second City mainstage where she has directed the National Touring Company’s productions of 0% Down, and Second City for Mayor. Comedic turns also include An Awkward Evening with Martin & Johnson with fellow alumnus Bob Martin (Tarragon Theatre 2003).
In 2009 Melody co-created two new Canadian works: Mimi with Rick Roberts and Allen Cole for the Tarragon Theatre, and the Toronto Summerworks hit Miss Caledonia.
Melody reprised her Dora nominated role in Florence Gibson's I Think I Can (Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People (now Young People’s Theatre) and National Arts Centre for the 2010-11 season.
She has toured her solo shows, Miss Caledonia (from 2012 to 2019), and Person of Interest (2018) to theatres across the country.
Melody Johnson has been nominated for ten Dora Mavor Moore Awards, and numerous Canadian Comedy awards, in addition to a Nova Scotia Merritt Award, and a Calgary Betty Mitchell Award. She has been described as "Canada's Kook Supreme" by the Toronto Star's theatre critic Richard Ouzounian, and "a great eccentric comedienne..." by the National Post’s Robert Cushman. Former Globe and Mail critic Kate Taylor wrote, "You would be hard pressed to find a Toronto actor more capable of the stylized comic performance that can bring smarts to satire than Johnson..."
As well as acting and writing, Melody Johnson also teaches improvisation and sketch writing at the Humber School for Writers. She resides in Toronto with partner and composer Allen Cole and their son Dashiell.
Website: www.melodyjohnson.ca
Last updated 2021-02-11
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