Playwright

“Tenacious and driven, Mary is committed to the craft of storytelling and collaborates with any team to create new and exciting pieces of art. Most importantly, it is Mary’s diverse and well-traveled background that leads her to a plethora of environments and collaborators. Her strong moral fiber makes her (most importantly) an exemplary leader, and I’m excited to see her stories come to life onstage. It has been an honor to be part of her journey, and I know you will find it to be the same.”

“I know two of Mary’s plays, the tragic and funny Shanktown and especially her recent work, Possession, a wonderful dance between the almost normal and a surrealistic journey with the Virgin Mary through time. Mary is keen to explore all kinds of spiritual corners in her plays, as well as uniquely theatrical ways of portraying them. I’ve seen the progression of Possession. Mary set herself bold challenges and was willing to experiment and expand and throw things away in her exploration of the play. She is a relatively fast writer, and it was a wonder to see successive iterations of Possession, each markedly different from the previous one. I urge you to read her work and get to know this gifted artist.”

“One of Mary's best qualities is her positivity. She is authentically a sun-shiny person. She laughs easily and has a gentle eagerness that is charmingly child-like. She's phenomenally sensitive and insightful, and truly un-needy. As much as she wants to make the world a better place, she has a strong, steady stance that is non-competitive. Her maturity allows her to be her own person, walk her own walk, and have the confidence to love before hating. Mary is always eager for honest, constructive feedback.

Mary’s newest play, POWER, strikes home with me as I’m sure it will with anyone who has an aging parent or grandparent. All of us who try to go home but find that the connections we long for are challenged by the changes we’ve manifested in ourselves will be drawn into this play, which consequently wields the power to allow us to release past pain.”

“I am writing to give Mary Donnet Johnson the highest recommendation. Last summer, I was given the amazing opportunity to direct her play, Shanktown, in the New Works Festival at Playhouse on the Square in Memphis. It was a lovely experience from beginning to end and I feel blessed to now consider her a friend as well as a professional collaborator.

Mary was very responsive to ideas from actors and from me and very thoughtful and professional in her communication throughout our process. She traveled to Memphis several times to be involved in the process which I welcomed. Mary writes well and quickly. I was often amazed at her response time when she was making small edits in the script. She also creates wonderful characters and dialogue that falls out of the mouths of the actors.

Her play, Shanktown, has heart and important messages woven throughout the stories of the characters.”