Phil Johnson

Meet Phil

Phil, smiling, wearing blue checked suit jacket and gold shirt

Phil Johnson is an award-winning writer, director, and actor based in San Diego. He is currently the Artistic Director and proud founding partner of The Roustabouts Theatre Co.

As a writer, he has collaborated with other notable local playwrights and penned works including Roosevelt: Charge the Bear (co-written with Marni Freedman), Withering Heights (written and performed with Omri Schein) She-Rantulas from Outer Space in 3D! (co-written with Ruff Yeager); and The Hound of the Baskervilles.

His solo show, A Jewish Joke (co-written with Marni Freedman) had an Off-Broadway run at Theatre Row in NYC as well as a successful run in San Diego. The show has also toured regionally in Chicago, New Haven, and St. Louis.

Phil played in Les Misérables on Broadway and on tour; in the Canadian production of Sunset Boulevard; and in the 1st National Company of Miss Saigon.

Phil regularly performs at local theatres in the San Diego area and is a two-time winner of the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Craig Noel Award for Acting.

Phil’s local directing credits include productions for Scripps Ranch Theatre, The Roustabouts Theatre Company, and San Diego Playwrights Project.

Phil also teaches and produces a Solo Show Workshop for The Roustabouts Theatre Co. which encourages and mentors new local writers and performers.

Directing Credits

Phil Johnson and the cast of I Love Hamlet in their costumes

Scripps Ranch Theatre

I Hate Hamlet (Full Production)

Murder at the Howard Johnson’s (Full Production)

San Diego Playwright’s Project

Folk (Full Production)

The Roustabouts Theatre Co.

For Whom The Southern Belle Tolls (Full Production)

Hand to God (Reading)

Ripcord (Reading)

12 Angry Men (Reading)

Tale of The Allergist’s Wife (Reading)

The Philadelphia Story (Reading)

Acting Credits

Phil played on Broadway and on tour in Les Misérables; in the Canadian production of Sunset Boulevard; and in the 1st National Co. of Miss Saigon.

As an actor & writer, his solo show, A Jewish Joke (co-written with Marni Freedman, directed by David Ellenstein) had an Off-Broadway run at Theatre Row in NYC in March 2019 after a successful San Diego run for The Roustabouts Theatre Co. The show has also toured regionally at Chicago's Victory Gardens as well as performances in New Haven and St. Louis.

He is a two-time winner of the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Craig Noel Award for acting in Midsummer Night's Dream at Intrepid Theatre Company, and The Man Who Came to Dinner. Southern California theatres include North Coast Rep (Last of the Red Hot Lovers, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, Spelling Bee), Old Globe (How the Grinch Stole Christmas), and Cygnet Theatre (Mistakes Were Made, Pageant).

Phil continues to perform in numerous productions both locally and regionally. You never know where Phil will be performing next...

Playwright Credits

Roosevelt: Charge The Bear

By Phil Johnson & Marni Freedman

In this gripping 90-minute show, we see the new president grapple with the issues that would define his term: taking on the trusts, trying to get his message across to the people, and another enormous challenge - the coal strike of 1902. Miners and others were killed, tensions were high, and the biggest threat of all, that innocent people would freeze to death that winter. This American dynamo dealt with these in his own relentless energetic way and was an example of something in politics we miss today: conscience.

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A Jewish Joke

By Phil Johnson & Marni Freedman

A curmudgeonly Jewish comedy screenwriter from MGM comes up against the Communist blacklist in 1950’s Hollywood. He now has to make the biggest decision of his life. Armed with stories about the great era of Jewish humor, this poignant solo dramedy shows one small man facing the tough American events of the mid-20th century.

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Read a review of A Jewish Joke by The Huffington Post

She-Rantulas From Outer Space

By Phil Johnson & Ruff Yeager

An alien force from beyond drops down upon the unsuspecting world of suburban 1950's America - can anyone be saved? A Sci-fi Horror gem for Halloween along the lines of The Bad Seed meets Creature From the Black Lagoon.

The Hound Of The Baskervilles

By Phil Johnson

A one-man journey into madness: One actor plays all the characters in this comedy retelling of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's literary masterpiece. A San Diego Foundation Grantee.

Withering Heights

By Phil Johnson & Omri Schein

Based on Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. Heathcliff and Catherine on the Moors as you've never seen them before. Schein and Johnson take on all fourteen roles in this action-packed tour de force comedy play.

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