Ruth Mary Johnson
  • Directing
  • Performing
  • Facilitating
  • Writing
  • Chicken Licken: a Tale Jam
  • Get In Touch
  • Blog
  • TalePieces
  • Chicken Licken: a Tale Jam - Live Tale Jams
  • Story Team
Photograph by Kev Howard as part of N18, Great Exhibition of the North

Thank you for visiting my site. I am lucky to have collaborated with so many brilliant people and companies over the last 10 years and hope to continue to do so.

Telling stories is my passion and as a Theatre Maker I aim to make work that credits the intelligence of the audience and invites you to take ownership in the storytelling act.

Whilst I come from a theatre background, collaborating with practitioners from other disciplines is embedded in my practice and I am really interested in the skills-sharing and surprises that can come from working in this way.

I enjoy wearing lots of hats and I see each one as an opportunity to learn and inform the work I create as a whole. These bonnets include Directing, Performing, Writing and Facilitating. 


I also work as a Clown Doctor  with a brilliant team of sillybillies for TinARTS at a range of local hospitals. You can find out more about this here.


The Stage Opinion piece
Interview with Broadway World

Recent and upcoming projects...

Story Team

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Story Team is an online storytelling project, supported by Durham County Council, with the aim of creating a brand new tale with families.

Each week from 5th May to the 5th June 2020, we will be setting Story Missions and building a story together, week by week. You can view the first Story Mission in the video below.


You can also join the Story Team Facebook page and join in here  



​Chicken Licken: a Tale Jam
A Durham Gala and Ruth Mary Johnson Production
Written by and Directed by Ruth Mary Johnson
Musical Direction by Calum Howard
Performed by Calum Howard, Liam Scarth and Ruth Mary Johnson
(​March-April 2019)

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Chicken Licken: a Tale Jam - Touring Spring 2019
Graphics by Wayne Gamble
​Illustration by Rebecca Johnson

The Winter's Tale, National Theatre (Jan-Feb 2019)

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​Photo by Ellie Kurttz www.elliekurttz.com 
​://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/the-winters-tale
Example review
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Izzy Gizmo: A Story Gig This one-off performance featured live original music, inspired by the book and created with the help of children from all over County Durham. Children under 7 and their families are invited to join us for a morning of singing, dancing and the opportunity to meet Izzy’s illustrator, Sara Ogilvie. Based on the book written by Pip Jones and illustrated by Sara Ogilvie, adapted by Ruth Mary Johnson and Jeremy Bradfield. You can view the videos here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKuygKmrXOx0_g4YC3qv-hw We are currently creating another Story Gig with communities in County Durham, telling the story of the picturebook "Perfectly Norman" but Tom Percival
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TalePieces - The Fables of Bewick and You, 2018 - a digital response to the Great Exhibition of the North as part of the N18 programme bringing together a cohort of artists from across the North.
​Video created by Alan Fentiman for the N18 project as part of The Great Exhibition of the North.

​Much felt thanks to all the brilliant photographers shown on this site for their beautiful work and allowing me to use their images.
Topher McGrillis http://tmcgphoto.uk/
Richard Kenworthy http://richardkenworthy.com/
Sophie Teasdale https://www.sophieteasdale.co.uk/
Mark Savage http://marksavagephotography.blogspot.co.uk/
Rob Irish ​https://www.rob.irish/
  • Directing
  • Performing
  • Facilitating
  • Writing
  • Chicken Licken: a Tale Jam
  • Get In Touch
  • Blog
  • TalePieces
  • Chicken Licken: a Tale Jam - Live Tale Jams
  • Story Team