San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
S.D. THEATER COMMUNITY MOURNS ACTOR CORTEZ L. JOHNSON
The local theater community is mourning the death of Cortez L. Johnson a Chicago-raised actor who made an indelible stamp on San Diego’s theater scene while living and working here from 2017 to 2019. He died June 9 at age 34 in Los Angeles.
Johnson arrived in San Diego in 2014, when he starred in the San Diego Repertory Theatre production of “Honky.” In 2016, he led the cast of Moxie Theatre’s “Brownsville Song (B-side for Tray)” at Moxie Theatre. Then, in 2017, he starred in productions at three local theaters, Moxie’s “Blue Door,” Intrepid Theatre’s “Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3)” and Ion Theatre’s “The Ballad of Emmett Till.” His talent and versatility led the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle to award Johnson its top prize of Actor of the Year for his body of work in 2017.
In 2018, he also appeared in Moxie’s “Voyeurs de Venus” and Cygnet Theatre’s “The Wind and the Breeze,” and in 2019 he was featured in San Diego Rep’s “Sweat.” Around that time, he moved to Los Angeles and appeared in stage productions there and elsewhere.
Johnson grew up in Chicago, where he spent some time in the foster care system as a boy and later discovered theater in high school. He studied acting at two Illinois universities and did followup training at schools in Nigeria, Barbados and England. He later toured the world, performing in theater productions in the Caribbean, Europe, Africa and Asia. He was also a social media influencer, who occasionally shared posts about battling personal challenges and depression. A memorial service was held June 25 in Chicago.
In social media posts last week, friends and colleagues praised Johnson’s talent, kindness, support of other artists and passion for acting. Officials from San Diego’s Playwrights Project also wrote about Johnson’s dedication to the work of its teen writers.
“We are heartbroken by the loss of Cortez L. Johnson, an incredible actor who often lent his talents in our community and school programs. His performances honored our writers’ scripts with compassion, grace and acceptance. Cortez’s charisma and enthusiasm brought joy to Playwrights Project’s participants, teaching artists, and staff, and we are grateful for the impact he made on us all,” Playwrights Project posted on its Facebook page.
A Gofundme campaign has been set up in Johnson’s memory (“A memorial fund for Cortez L. Johnson”) to benefit his family and the children he left behind.
S.D. Rep’s Salovey hopes Jfest returns next year
When San Diego Repertory Theatre shut down after 46 years on June 19, it shuttered right in the middle of the Rep’s 29th annual Lipinsky Family San Diego Jewish Arts Festival. Most of the remaining events were canceled as a result.
Todd Salovey, who founded and directed the long-running festival and served as the Rep’s longtime associate artistic director, said he hopes Jfest can be revived next year for its 30th anniversary.
“It’s always been a labor of love,” Salovey said. “I’m just not yet sure how, where or with whom we’ll produce it. I hope that becomes clear in the next few months. We have great partners we’ve worked with for years, and have produced in multiple venues around San Diego and North County, so I think there are options. ‘Women of Valor’ and ‘Klezmer Summit’ have beloved traditions. It would be a shame not to do them. So I hope Jfest will go on, even as the Rep reorganizes and hopefully comes back.”
SDSU unveils winner in New Musical Initiative
“In a Sunshine State,” a new musical by writers T.C. Lind, Derek Gregor and Phoebe Kreutz, beat out 162 other submissions to be chosen for a two-year development and premiere process as part of the San Diego State University New Musical Initiative.
The musical will be developed with director Stephen Brotebeck, music director Robert Meffe and the SDSU MFA Musical Theatre cohort, with the end goal of a world premiere production in spring 2024. “In a Sunshine State” is a historical romance set in 1950s Florida during a harrowing period in American queer history.
“We only wish that ‘In a Sunshine State’ were not so relevant for our times,” Meffe said. “This piece was unanimously chosen by our selection committee for its powerful themes, thoughtful story, and well-crafted music and lyrics.”
Old Globe lands grant for veterans program
The Old Globe has been selected as one of 26 organizations to receive a Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant, a federal program to provide arts enrichment to active-duty military and veterans. The Globe will receive $50,000 to support its Old Globe/ Veterans Village Theatre Initiatives, a series of six year-round theater programs for residents of Veterans Village of San Diego.