Karena Johnson
Encyclopedia
Karena Johnson is a British
Theatrical Director/Producer. She is Britain's only black
female Artistic Director of a Theatre, who first started working at London
's Oval House Theatre
. She was Acting Artistic director at Contact theatre and Artistic Director of Kushite Theatre Company as well as Associate Director at Nottingham Playhouse
and Theatre Royal Stratford East
. She was born in South London
, and studied drama at the Royal Holloway, University of London
and at the University of Leicester
.
She has programmed a succession of productions, including Dipo Agboluaje
's Early Morning, a satire about Nigerian cleaners mounting a coup in the city of London. She has been involved in a number of internatianal cultural collaborations with in Iran
, China
, Nigeria
, Turkey
and Europe
.
Karena has worked as a professional theatre director since 1997. Her work include "40" by Angie LeMar at Hackney Empire
Crossings by Julie McNamara at Cochrane Theatre
"Safe" by David Herminstien at West Yorkshire Playhouse
"Sweet Yam Kisses" which was conceived by her and written by Courttia Newland
and Pat Cumper at the Lyric Hammersmith
,"The Bridge" by Pedro Obaseki, an international co-production between Oval House Theatre
and Don Pedro productions Nigeria; "The Oddest Couple" by Geoff Aymer at the Theatre Royal Stratford East
; "Vengeance" by Wayne Buchanan on a National Tour; "Yerma" by Federico Garcia Lorca at the Young Vic/ Jerwood Space; "The Key Game" by Pat Cumper at the Riverside Studios
; "The Front Room" by Jenny Davis on a National Tour; "Under Their Influence" by Wayne Buchanan at the Tricycle Theatre
; "Angie Baby" by Rommie Smith at the Young Vic; "Gods and Bad Guys" by Tunde Euba; "Two" by Jim Cartwright; and EMMA Award nominated premier production of Vengeance by Wayne Buchanan at the Oval House Theatre
.
Karena has also collaborated with other artist as including Robert Hylton on "Swan Breaks" Benji Reid on "Process 06" and Melih Gorgun on "SEAS Black/North"
Karena was a Jerwood
Young Director Award Winner in 2003 and has been nominated for the Carlton Multicultural Awards in 2003. Karena was the Head of Theatre Programming at Oval House Theatre
for five years and was the Artistic Director of Kushite Theatre Co, was the Acting Artistic Director of Contact Theatre
, Manchester
. Karena spent some time working as a freelance director in London and has been CEO/Artistic Director of The Broadway
theatre in Barking since January 2009.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Theatrical Director/Producer. She is Britain's only black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
female Artistic Director of a Theatre, who first started working at London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Oval House Theatre
Oval House Theatre
Ovalhouse formerly called Oval House Theatre is an Off-Westend theatre led by joint Directors of Theatre Rebecca Atkinson-Lord and Rachel Briscoe in the London Borough of Lambeth...
. She was Acting Artistic director at Contact theatre and Artistic Director of Kushite Theatre Company as well as Associate Director at Nottingham Playhouse
Nottingham Playhouse
The Nottingham Playhouse is a theatre in Nottingham, England. It was first established as a repertory theatre in the 1950s when it operated from a former cinema. Directors during this period included Val May and Frank Dunlop.-The building:...
and Theatre Royal Stratford East
Theatre Royal Stratford East
The Theatre Royal Stratford East is a theatre in Stratford in the London Borough of Newham. Since 1953, it has been the home of the Theatre Workshop company.-History:...
. She was born in South London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and studied drama at the Royal Holloway, University of London
Royal Holloway, University of London
Royal Holloway, University of London is a constituent college of the University of London. The college has three faculties, 18 academic departments, and about 8,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students from over 130 different countries...
and at the University of Leicester
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
.
She has programmed a succession of productions, including Dipo Agboluaje
Oladipo Agboluaje
Oladipo Agboluaje is a British playwright. He was born in Hackney and educated in Britain and Nigeria, studying theatre arts at the University of Benin...
's Early Morning, a satire about Nigerian cleaners mounting a coup in the city of London. She has been involved in a number of internatianal cultural collaborations with in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Karena has worked as a professional theatre director since 1997. Her work include "40" by Angie LeMar at Hackney Empire
Hackney Empire
The Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, in the London Borough of Hackney, built in 1901 as a music hall.-History:Hackney Empire is a grade II* listed building...
Crossings by Julie McNamara at Cochrane Theatre
Cochrane Theatre
The Cochrane Theatre is a receiving and producing theatre that aims to present all aspects of the performing arts within a proscenium arch. The theatre is situated in Holborn, London.-History:...
"Safe" by David Herminstien at West Yorkshire Playhouse
West Yorkshire Playhouse
The West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, England is a theatre which opened in March 1990 as part of the regeneration of the Quarry Hill area of the city...
"Sweet Yam Kisses" which was conceived by her and written by Courttia Newland
Courttia Newland
Courttia Newland is a British writer of Jamaican and Bajan heritage.-Background:Newland grew up in Shepherd's Bush, west London, where he became a rapper and music producer who, together with friends, released a Drum n' Bass white label. In 1997 he published his first novel, The Scholar. Further...
and Pat Cumper at the Lyric Hammersmith
Lyric Hammersmith
The Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a theatre on King Street, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, which takes pride in its original, "groundbreaking" productions....
,"The Bridge" by Pedro Obaseki, an international co-production between Oval House Theatre
Oval House Theatre
Ovalhouse formerly called Oval House Theatre is an Off-Westend theatre led by joint Directors of Theatre Rebecca Atkinson-Lord and Rachel Briscoe in the London Borough of Lambeth...
and Don Pedro productions Nigeria; "The Oddest Couple" by Geoff Aymer at the Theatre Royal Stratford East
Theatre Royal Stratford East
The Theatre Royal Stratford East is a theatre in Stratford in the London Borough of Newham. Since 1953, it has been the home of the Theatre Workshop company.-History:...
; "Vengeance" by Wayne Buchanan on a National Tour; "Yerma" by Federico Garcia Lorca at the Young Vic/ Jerwood Space; "The Key Game" by Pat Cumper at the Riverside Studios
Riverside Studios
Riverside Studios is a production studio, theatre and independent cinema on the banks of the River Thames in Hammersmith, London, England. It plays host to contemporary and international dramatic and dance performance, film, visual art exhibitions and television production.-History:In 1933, the...
; "The Front Room" by Jenny Davis on a National Tour; "Under Their Influence" by Wayne Buchanan at the Tricycle Theatre
Tricycle Theatre
The Tricycle Theatre is located on Kilburn High Road in Kilburn in the London Borough of Brent, England. During the last 30 years, the Tricycle has been presenting plays reflecting the cultural diversity of its community; in particular Black, Irish, Jewish, Asian and South African works, as well as...
; "Angie Baby" by Rommie Smith at the Young Vic; "Gods and Bad Guys" by Tunde Euba; "Two" by Jim Cartwright; and EMMA Award nominated premier production of Vengeance by Wayne Buchanan at the Oval House Theatre
Oval House Theatre
Ovalhouse formerly called Oval House Theatre is an Off-Westend theatre led by joint Directors of Theatre Rebecca Atkinson-Lord and Rachel Briscoe in the London Borough of Lambeth...
.
Karena has also collaborated with other artist as including Robert Hylton on "Swan Breaks" Benji Reid on "Process 06" and Melih Gorgun on "SEAS Black/North"
Karena was a Jerwood
Jerwood Foundation
The Jerwood Foundation is a major United Kingdom funder of arts, education, and science.The foundation is particularly noted in the arts for establishing the Jerwood Charitable Foundation and associated projects such as the Jerwood Space for dance and exhibitions, the Jerwood Painting Prize, the...
Young Director Award Winner in 2003 and has been nominated for the Carlton Multicultural Awards in 2003. Karena was the Head of Theatre Programming at Oval House Theatre
Oval House Theatre
Ovalhouse formerly called Oval House Theatre is an Off-Westend theatre led by joint Directors of Theatre Rebecca Atkinson-Lord and Rachel Briscoe in the London Borough of Lambeth...
for five years and was the Artistic Director of Kushite Theatre Co, was the Acting Artistic Director of Contact Theatre
Contact Theatre
-Contact:Contact is a multi-disciplinary arts venue in Manchester. Originally a traditional theatre Contact was rebranded in 1999 as a space specialising in producing work and providing opportunities for young people.-History:...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. Karena spent some time working as a freelance director in London and has been CEO/Artistic Director of The Broadway
The Broadway
The Broadway was a mid-level department store chain headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States of America. Founded in 1896 by English born Arthur Letts, Sr., who later went on to develop Holmby Hills, The Broadway became one of the dominant retailers in Southern California and the...
theatre in Barking since January 2009.