STA Alumna Play Premieres at Coterie Theatre
February 9, 2023
Michelle Tyrene Johnson (’82) is a fourth-generation Kansas City, Kansan, who is a gifted writer. Her most recent play, Only One Day A Year, is having its world premiere at Kansas City’s Coterie Theatre, one of the nation’s top theaters for young audiences, this month. The play is about “a hometown story by a hometown girl” that the author says carries a universal message.
In a recent interview with the Kansas City Star, Johnson said, “It’s a Kansas City play, where the references are things anybody from Kansas City, or at least older people, will get. But because of the nature of the play and what it’s talking about, it could be in any city in America.”
One of the play’s main characters, Rose James, is a teen during the 1960s, a time of segregation. Another key character, Rose’s granddaughter, Ella, is encountering a controversy at her school during the present day. The story unfolds to reveal how both young women rely on their determination and spirit to fight injustices and bring about meaningful change.
“I’m so excited, because it’s so important for people to not go to sleep on their history,” Johnson told the Star.
A group of STA students attended the show this past week as part of the Academy’s celebration of Black History Month.
In addition to her writing, Johnson works as a producer at a public radio station in Louisville, Kentucky.
Only One Day A Year runs through March 5, 2023.
Michelle Tyrene Johnson (’82), author and playwright.
(Photo credit: Twitter)