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From Small Town to Starring Role, Young Actress Nominated For Jeff Award

By Mina Bloom | May 5, 2015 9:35am
 Callie Johnson starred in a Bailiwick Chicago production of
Callie Johnson starred in a Bailiwick Chicago production of "Carrie" last summer, and is now up for a Jeff Award.
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DNAinfo/Mina Bloom; Provided

BUENA PARK — When 24-year-old Callie Johnson starred in the musical "Carrie," she cried the first few times she had to rehearse arguably the most iconic scene: When Carrie gets blood dumped on her head at prom.

"It stirred up crazy emotions inside of me," said Johnson, who lives in Buena Park. "Everyone at one point in their life has felt ostracized or wished they were someone else."

The tears were worth it, as Johnson's role in the Bailiwick Chicago production last summer earned her not only rave reviews, but also a high honor in Chicago theater: a Jeff Award nomination.

"It was one of the hardest roles I've ever played physically, emotionally and spiritually," said Johnson, who has performed everywhere from City Lit Theater Co. in Edgewater to Peninsula Players in Door County, Wis. since graduating from Columbia College in 2012.

If Johnson wins, it won't be her first Jeff Award; the young actress won last year for her role in "Pal Joey," a Porch Light Music Theatre production. According to Tribune theater critic Chris Jones, Johnson's star is rising. Jones named her one of the city's top 10 hot new faces in theater last year.

"It's so inspiring to be in a community that cares and isn't afraid to share stories," Johnson said of the Chicago theater scene.

Johnson said she's drawn to stories that deliver a powerful message like the musical "Carrie," which is based on the Stephen King novel that was the basis of a 1976 film starring Sissy Spacek. The dark story revolves around Carrie, a high school girl who is taunted by her classmates and her mother.

"We love to delve into topics like [the one in "Carrie"] and put ourselves in vulnerable, scary situations because people need to hear these stories."

While Johnson said she wasn't bullied in high school, a close friend of hers was a victim of "snarky, mean and cruel comments."

"They had no patience for this person, which I didn't understand," she said, shedding tears. "This person was a beautiful human being that has so much to offer the world and is succeeding and other kids just didn't see it."

Becoming a working actress is a lifelong dream for Johnson, who has been performing in plays since eighth grade but started dancing in her neighbor's studio at age 4.

"I feel this sort of light, sparkly, glittery feeling when I'm on stage," she said. "It's such an unique feeling."

She grew up in the small town of Genoa, Ill. — "literally in the middle of a corn field," not knowing "how far [her] dreams could extend."

"I could never have imagined that this would be my life," Johnson said.

The Bailiwick is at 4200 W. Diversey Ave.

Nonequity Jeff Award winners will be announced in a ceremony June 8.

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