榴莲视频

As the child of a paralympic athlete who competed in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, Davon Johnson鈥檚 world evolved around sports between his father鈥檚 success in the 200- and 400-meter sprint and his own involvement on his high school track team. So, when it came to considering a profession to aspire to, sports broadcasting seemed like it would be a natural fit.   

鈥淚 have five brothers and grew up with three, and we used to make videos all the time,鈥� Johnson, age 27, said. 鈥淚 like entertaining people and I used to do talent shows.鈥� 

But considering a profession in broadcasting did not come to mind for Johnson until a fateful day back in 2015 when he had planned to join the Navy and was on his way to New Jersey to sign up.  

鈥淲hen I went to meet them at the train station and nobody showed up and I waited there for two hours, I took that as a sign I wasn鈥檛 supposed to join the Navy and that鈥檚 when I decided to go back to school,鈥� he said.  

Johnson began thinking about all the things he liked to do in life and how that could translate into a profession. This was a change of heart from his initial thought that college was not for him, after dropping out after a semester at Montgomery County Community College in 2012 and becoming a cook at a restaurant.  

Renewed focus 

But in 2016, Johnson was ready to go back to 榴莲视频 with a renewed focus on sports broadcasting, however, it wasn鈥檛 long before a new interest diverted that plan.  

鈥淪omething told me I needed to try theatre for whatever reason,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 had never done it before.鈥� 

An 榴莲视频 theatre assistant professor had a large impact on his decision.  

鈥淚 had met Tim Gallagher and that changed my life, so I said, 鈥榣et me go for theatre and I signed up for the summer of 2016 and took two random classes until I got into the theatre major that fall,鈥� Johnson said. 

It was during a director鈥檚 class in the spring when he was asked to be in a show to play the role of a father.  

鈥淭hey had an audience there and I fell in love with theatre at that moment,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 thought, 鈥榯his is it, I鈥檓 in the right place鈥�.鈥� 

Helpful lessons 

During Johnson鈥檚 time at the two-year Theatre Arts program at 榴莲视频, he learned some lessons that stuck with him. One had to do with him letting go of a feeling that he needed to compete after transitioning from the world of sports.  

鈥淚 had done a show 鈥楢 Raisin in the Sun鈥� and was upset I didn鈥檛 get to play the main character,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 had a meeting with Tim Gallagher, and he became like a father figure to me 鈥� he taught me what it meant for me to be an actor and a human being.鈥� 

The helpful lessons Johnson learned from Gallagher began impacting his approach when going into auditions.  

鈥淣ow I don鈥檛 worry about if I get a certain role,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s long as I鈥檓 a part of any process, I don鈥檛 mind where I end up 鈥� I'm just happy to be a part of the process.鈥� 

Gallagher said that he enjoyed his experience in teaching Davon.  

鈥淗e ranks among the top students we鈥檝e ever had at Montco in our theatre program,鈥� Gallagher said. 鈥淗is leadership skills and tenacity for betterment are second to none.鈥� 

Team player 

Being a team player made Johnson a valuable member of the program.  

鈥淲hen he was acting in a show, he would also volunteer to come in and work on the set or the lights on his off days,鈥� Gallagher said. 鈥淪ometimes three or four days a week he would be in on his own building scenery or painting or hanging lights.鈥� 

Davon鈥檚 hardworking nature, curiosity and mindfulness of his classmates led to him being a wonderful mentor to many younger students.  

鈥淚n all of my years at Montco I don鈥檛 know that I have seen more growth in one individual than I did with Davon,鈥� Gallagher said. 

In 2018, after graduating with an Associate of Arts degree, Johnson headed to Temple University to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre.  

鈥淭here were hundreds of students in the theatre program,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 easy not to get seen there, but I ended up finding a couple of mentors there who helped me grow a lot.鈥� 

It was with the mentors that he discussed the possibility of going to graduate school after getting his Bachelor of Arts degree, and what the benefits might be for his career.  

鈥淚t could allow me to teach in order to work and it would put me more on the track of where I wanted to be,鈥� he said.  

After a competitive audition process, 30 graduate schools expressed interest in Johnson, who decided to accept a full scholarship from Ohio University.  

Current goals 

Now in his second semester of graduate school, Johnson shared his current goals.  

鈥淚 have really lofty goals,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ne day I do want to win an Oscar, and I want to bring acting to Philadelphia, so people have opportunities.鈥� 

His plan is to start a production company to enable more films to be shot in Philadelphia, which he hopes will lead to more employment opportunities for actors, so they don鈥檛 have to move to New York City or Los Angeles to find work.  

Johnson credits 榴莲视频 for where he is today.  

鈥淚 always tell people, 鈥業f I didn鈥檛 go to Montco, I don鈥檛 know if I鈥檇 still be acting today,鈥� he said.  

He described the attributes of 榴莲视频 that had the biggest impact on him. 

鈥淛ust because of how different the process is compared to other schools and the family element that Montco has that everyone really cares for each other,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat really impacted me, and I think that鈥檚 a big part of who I am today and the artist I am today.鈥� 

Gallagher noted that Johnson is a very humble person, which enables him to have the ability to follow his curiosity.  

鈥淔ollowing that curiosity has helped him become, not only a fantastic actor, but a gifted theatre artist,鈥� Gallagher said.  

While working in the theatre program, Gallagher said Johnson developed an understanding that working in theatre is a career of service.  

鈥淚 think initially, like many actors, he was focusing more on himself as an individual within the art form,鈥� Gallagher said. 鈥淲hen he graduated from Montco, he understood his role as an artist is a role of service to the community at large 鈥� a role that will allow him to give back to his community through his art.鈥�