During her thirty-seven years as a drama teacher, Margaret F. Johnson produced much more than great shows -- she inspired many of her students to become theatre professionals. A few of her "kids" are now nationally-known Broadway actors, film stars, and backstage technicians. Among them are Kathleen McNenny, a Broadway actress who recently played Elizabeth in Richard III; Scott Michael Campbell, a television and film actor featured in the motion picture Brokeback Mountain; Tom Valach, a freelance designer in the Twin Cities; and John Shaffner, an Emmy Award-winning designer for many television productions.

When Margaret retired, the high school auditorium where she taught was renamed in her honor. She continues to teach acting privately as well as at the Missoula Children's Theatre Fine Arts Camp, and when her time permits, she accepts acting roles at the Missoula Community Theatre where she works with former students.

She served as the Montana State Thespian Director from 1972 to 1992 and established the yearly state convention in partnership with the University of Montana.

She has directed over 190 productions, from children's theatre to full-blown musical shows like The Music Man with a cast of three hundred. Her students have performed on the main stage at two International Thespian Conferences.

Margaret graduated from Macalester College with a B.A. in Theatre and Speech and earned an M.A. in Direction from the University of Montana.

When she isn't acting or teaching, she enjoys living in her restored Victorian home in Missoula with her husband of forty-two years and their "children," Sissie, a Hungarian Puli, and Daphne, a domestic shorthair kitten.

"Producing a great show," she says, "means being responsible and dependable, and most important of all, being proud of what we do."