TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE the following is a complete list of plays acted in or directed by Dwain Johnson. "Complete" is a relative term, given that he was involved in numerous other productions as technical director and/or producer.

Some of the show histories are a bit murky. For example, Mr. J spoke so frequently about Merton of the Movies (1969) that I assumed he had directed it. However, after discovering the yearbook tribute page, I saw that Barb La Baw was listed as director. I now believe he likely served as technical director, as this production was the first to incorporate multimedia onstage--- a challenge I suspect he found exciting and rewarding. I have included it here because of the profound impact it had on him.

Another example is a Gustavus "project" that remains shrouded in mystery. It was a one-act play titled The Powers That Be. The script, which was tucked among his theater books, had been marked up as an actor would. It was in his handwriting. The play was a Samuel Beckett-esque one-act that was not included in Gustavus's formal listing of productions, nor do I recall Dwain ever mentioning it. My best guess is that it was either an entry in a one-act festival or a class project. I read it once before a catastrophic home fire destroyed the script. Sadly, I neglected to record the playwright and year. I have not listed it here.

Johnson's acting career didn't last long. After accompanying a college friend to an audition for A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court on a whim--- and getting cast as Merlin--- he caught the acting bug. He enthusiastically finished his time at Gustavus Adolphus College acting in numerous productions. Then as a high school theater director in 1957, he made an unplanned return to the stage when his young leading man was too sick to perform in The Imaginary Invalid, forcing Dwain to go onstage at the last minute. The next year, Dwain found himself at St. Cloud State University studying for his Master's Degree. While there, the bug hit again and he won the titular role in SCSU's production of Macbeth. Two more highly successful productions at Rochester Civic Theater followed but Johnson decided he wasn't a gifted actor. Although reviews disagreed, he never acted formally again.

The rest of his career he stuck to directing, teaching and producing. I'm confident that the Mayo history is complete as his secretary created a comprehensive list of his production there and gave it to him upon retirement. As always--- if you know of anything else that is neglected here, please get in touch.

PRODUCTIONS

A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court, The Gustavian Players (1942)
Gillean, The Gustavian Players (1942)
The Doctor In Spite Of Himself, The Gustavian Players (1942)
Thunder Rock, The Gustavian Players (1943)
The Night of January 16th, Staples High School(1955)
The Man In The Bowler Hat, Staples High School (1956)
Arsenic and Old Lace, Staples High School (1956)
Our Town, Staples High School (1956)
The Imaginary Invalid, Staples High School (1957)
The Cat and the Canary, Staples High School (1957)
Annie Get Your Gun, Staples High School
(date unknown - 1957?)
Time Out For Ginger, Staples High School (1958)
Dino, Staples High School (1958)
Macbeth, Saint Cloud State College (1958)
Life With Father, The Rochester Civic Theatre (1960)
Arsenic and Old Lace, The Rochester Civic Theatre (1961)
The Night of January 16th, John Marshall High School (1960)
The Doctor In Spite Of Himself, John Marshall High School (1961)
The Wizard of Oz, John Marshall Summer Theater (1961)
The Cat and the Canary, John Marshall High School (1961)
Oklahoma, John Marshall High School (1962)
Dark Victory, John Marshall High School (1962)
The Crucible, John Marshall High School (1962)
The Clown Who Ran Away, John Marshall Summer Theater (?)
Li'l Abner, John Marshall High School (1963)
Charley's Aunt, John Marshall High School (?)
Medea, John Marshall High School (1963)
Love Rides The Rails, John Marshall High School (1965)
The Miracle Worker, John Marshall High School (1965)
Arsenic and Old Lace, John Marshall High School (1965)
Hansel and Gretel, John Marshall High School (1965)
The Unsinkable Molly Brown, The Gustavian Players (1966)
Annie Get Your Gun, The Gustavian Players (1966)
The Unwicked Witch: An Unlikely Tale, John Marshall Summer Theater (1966)
The Heartless Troll, Rochester High School Summer Theater (1966)
Calamity Jane (1967), Mayo High School
The Imaginary Invalid (1967), Mayo High School
Winnie The Pooh (1967), Mayo High School
Slaughter of the Innocents (1967), Mayo High School
Life With Father (1968), Mayo High School
The Boy Friend (1968), Mayo High School
The Clown And His Circus (1968), Mayo High School
The Glass Menagerie (1969), Mayo High School
Merton of the Movies (1969), Mayo High School
Because Their Hearts Were Pure (1970), Mayo High School
Saint Joan (1970), Mayo High School
Where's Charley? (1970), Mayo High School
The Bad Seed (1971), Mayo High School
Teahouse of the August Moon (1972), Mayo High School
Blithe Spirit (1972), Mayo High School
Annie Get Your Gun (1972), Mayo High School
Detective Story (1973), Mayo High School
David and Lisa (1974), Mayo High School
The Doctor In Spite Of Himself (1974), Mayo High School
Once Upon A Mattress (1975), Mayo High School
Everybody Loves Opal (1975), Mayo High School
The Monkey's Paw (1975), Mayo High School
The Man In The Bowler Hat (1975), Mayo High School
O--B--A--F--G [K-M-R-N-S] (1975), Mayo High School
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (1976), Mayo High School
Cyrano de Bergerac (1977), Mayo High School
Anything Goes (1977), Mayo High School
The Miracle Worker (1978), Mayo High School
The Cat and the Canary (1979), Mayo High School
Oklahoma (1980), Mayo High School
Harvey (1980), Mayo High School
Bye, Bye Birdie (1981), Mayo High School
Tartuffe (1982), Mayo High School
Arsenic and Old Lace (1983), Mayo High School