Where It All Began

Hi!

My name is Melanie Johnson.  I’m a junior at UNC-Chapel Hill, double-majoring in dramatic art and reporting.  I'm originally from Chicago, Illinois but have lived all over the world, including Le Havre, France; Wimbledon, England; Houston, Texas; and Lake Norman, North Carolina. 

While living in England, I was bit by the theater bug.  I was seven and was the star of the school play.  Stepping off the stage in my elephant costume (yes, the star of the play was an elephant), I knew that I was born to act.  I fully believed that I was destined for super-stardom.  After telling my mother of my newfound ambition, she signed me up for a weekly theater, dance and music class.  Those classes confirmed my passion for performing.  I was smitten.

13 years later, things haven’t changed much.  My parents thought the “acting thing” was just a phase that would eventually pass, but needless to say, I’m still adamant about pursuing my dream of acting as a career.  I’ve acted in several productions here at Chapel Hill, my favorite being “Three Days of Rain,” a play by Richard Greenberg that I performed in last August.  I’m actively involved in LAB! Theatre, the undergraduate theater group on campus, and am a recurring character on “Above the Fold,” an online student television show. 

After graduating college, I plan on taking a leap of faith and moving to New York City or Los Angeles to pursue my dream.  Who knows where I’ll end up, but that girl in the elephant costume was right: I was born to be an actress.  Whether I’m destined for stardom, we'll just have to see.