ABOUT THE MAN
J. Quinton Johnson made his feature debut in Richard Linklater’s EVERYBODY WANTS SOME! after scoring the role while studying at the University of Texas at Austin (also literally scoring an end-credits special feature for the film). He followed that up with roles in AMC’s THE SON with Pierce Brosnan and ABC’s DIRTY DANCING with Debra Messing and Sarah Hyland, the latter prominently featured Q’s musicianship. While working on DIRTY DANCING, he met Andy Blankenbuehler, the Tony-winning choreographer of Hamilton, and they hit it off. From that relationship, Q made his Broadway debut in Hamilton as Hercules Mulligan/James Madison and performed 500 shows. He also reteamed with Richard Linklater for Amazon’s LAST FLAG FLYING opposite Steve Carrell, Laurence Fishburne, and Bryan Cranston. On stage, he has been in productions of In The Heights and Footloose at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC as well as the Tony-nominated play Choir Boy. Most recently, he completed his first starring role in the indie thriller-horror film THE SUMMONED.
As a composer, JQ has racked up a host of credits as an educator, songwriter, composer, producer, and music director with regional theaters and universities. He created original music with collaborator Vincent Jamal Hooper for Summer Stock Austin’s Covid safe summer project, Cyberstock, which was one of the first virtual productions of its kind. JQ served as music director and producer/engineer for the 2 bookending original pieces, mixing performers’ remote vocal takes into an entirely orchestrated soundtrack. Prior to the pandemic, he was accepted as a finalist to Theatre Now New York’s SOUNDBITES 10-minute musical festival with his show Headspace and is currently a finalist for the 2021 Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project. When the health crisis subsides, he will join the BMI Musical Theatre Writer’s Workshop as a first-year student. He plays the piano, bassoon, electric guitar, synth keyboards, and ukulele and is well versed in LogicPro and Finale. He is currently focusing on composing musicals, film scores, and other original music.
