Je'Caryous Johnson

Je'Caryous Johnson was born May 26, 1977, in Houston, Texas in the Northwestern Studewood neighborhood.^{[citation needed]} He attended the James D. Burrus Magnet School for Fine Arts, studying theater. Johnson was the winner of multiple nationwide playwriting contests, including one that gained him a first place medal for playwriting about the Harlem Renaissance at the National History Day playwriting competition held at the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C in 1996.^[2]

Johnson attended Prairie View A&M University, and later enrolled at the University of Houston, where he majored in theater and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts.^[3]

As a resident of Hollywood, California, Johnson was theatrically trained by August Wilson, Edward Albee, and Jose Quintero upon graduating from college.^[4] He later moved back to Texas in 1998, investing, developing, and founding his own theatrical company with his uncle Gary Guidry in 1995 called I'm Ready Productions.

In 2002, he collaborated with urban novelist Michael Baisden to adapt his novel Men Cry in the Dark into a stage play. After its success, hoping to make Houston the new 'Hollywood', he began to adapt more urban novels into stage productions, including the romance novel Friends and Lovers by Eric Jerome Dickey.^[5][6]

In 2007, Johnson and Guidry became the recipients of the NAACP Trailblazer Award, given to individuals in the entertainment industry whose outstanding theatrical contributions paved the way for future actors, playwrights, and producers. They are among honorees such as stage producer and filmmaker Tyler Perry, who was given the award in 2006 and David E. Talbert, who was awarded in 2008.

Many of Johnson's stage productions feature repeat cast actors similar to the likes of Spike Lee and Tyler Perry-esque casting style, where they repeatedly use the same actors in multiple films and productions. He consistently casts Vivica A. Fox, Billy Dee Williams, Allen Payne, Tichina Arnold, Leon, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Carl Anthony Payne II, Brian McKnight, Brian White, and Shirley Murdock.

A majority of Johnson's live tapings of stage productions, as well as his independent films, were released and made for direct-to-video DVD and video on demand streaming. And, as Tyler Perry had done with his productions, Johnson stamped his trademark name before the title of the play or film. (I.E.: Je'Caryous Johnson presents…).

His production company would later be renamed to Je'Caryous Johnson Entertainment, where new projects such as comedy showcases and music concerts would add to the roster of shows he had already begun to produce and tour nationally. He continues the legacy of the former production name I'm Ready Productions in his charitable organization for the performing arts, revamped as the I'm Ready Foundation.

In the late 2010s, he started adapting classic urban films into live stage adaptations. In 2017, he adapted the 2001 film Two Can Play That Game and cast Vivica A. Fox to reprise her lead role as 'Shante Smith'.^[7][8][9] In 2018, Johnson began to collaborate with Warner Bros. Theater Ventures to produce live-action stage adaptations of urban films from their vault, starting with the 1996 cult film Set It Off, casting Da Brat, Kyla Pratt, LeToya Luckett, and Demetria McKinney for the first production run.^[10] The play returned by popular demand in 2020/2021 with Da Brat returning as 'Cleo' along with a new cast lineup. Je'Caryous continued to collaborate with Warner Bros. in 2022 with the live-action stage adaptation of 1991 cult classic film New Jack City, in which he cast Allen Payne to reprise his role as 'Gee Money'. Also in his New Jack City, were Treach as 'Nino Brown', Big Daddy Kane, Flex Alexander, and Gary Dourdan.^[11]

In 2019, Matthew Knowles, creator of the Grammy winning pop group Destiny's Child, started to collaborate with Johnson to develop a Broadway stage musical titled Survivor: The Destiny's Child Musical, which would chronicle the groups' journey and rise to fame. The pair had ideas of making its debut in London's West End, as well as a national and overseas tour.^[12][13] The show was allegedly going to make its debut in 2020; however, it was reportedly placed on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[14]

Johnson is currently in development of various theatrical productions slated to tour. He partnered with Marvin Gaye III to write and produce a Broadway Musical titled Marvin Gaye: The Musical, which chronicles the life and times of Marvin Gaye, originally slated to open in 2023, but since delayed.^[15] He was also working on a live-action stage adaptation of the 1997 comedy film B.A.P.S., which has also been delayed.^[16] However, in early 2024, Johnson's production of New Jack City returned on tour by popular demand, casting Omar Gooding in the role of Stone. In February 2024, it was announced that Johnson, along with daughter of Rick James, Ty James, had launched a nationwide tour of the musical production of Super Freak: The Rick James Story, which was set to commence in the spring of 2024.^[17]

Je'Caryous Johnson married Meaghan Chrystal Roberts, a licensed entertainment attorney in California, on November 15, 2014.^[18] They have three children.

He and his wife developed Je'Caryous Johnson's: I'm Ready Foundation, an organization dedicated to teaching and positively changing people through the arts.^[19] They both, along with his mother Manon Roberts, serve on its Board of Directors.

• Men, Money and Gold Diggers Grand Central Publishing, ISBN 978-0-4465531-4-8
• I'm a Good Man, You're a Good Woman ... Why Can't We Find Each Other I'm Ready Publishing, ISBN 978-0-9787301-9-2

NAACP Theatre Award/NAACP Image Awards