Renardo Johnson is proud to be in his 14th year as a member of the acting cast of Ruth Page’s The Nutcracker.  He received a vast amount of his acting training at the University of Illinois at Chicago under the guidance of William Raffeld, the former director of actors for this production. (Mr. Raffled also played the grandfather in the ballet for 47 years.) 

Renardo continued his acting training at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where he earned an M.F.A. While in New York, Renardo performed in several readings and productions for the Public Theater.  The highlight of his work with the Public Theater was appearing in the Joseph Papp production of Twelfth Night with Oscar winner, F. Murray Abraham.   

After returning to Chicago, Renardo not only earned an M.A. in Social Work from the University of Chicago, he joined the Old World Theatre Company where he was seen in over twenty productions.  Some of his Old World Theatre credits include Master Harold and the Boys, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, Waiting for Lefty, The Importance of Being Earnest, Last Night of Ballyhoo, Driving Miss Daisy, Fools, Blood Knot, Too Many Husbands, Pygmalion, the Dairy of Anne Frank, Of Mice and Men, Our Town, Box And Cox, Black Comedy and Awake And Sing.  

Some of his credits outside of Old World Theatre Company include Ragtime (Porchlight Music Theater) Once On This Island (Porchlight Music Theater), Phantom (Porchlight Music Theater), Crowns (Open Door Repertory Company), Driving Miss Daisy (Village Players), The Full Monty (Village Players), Superior Donuts (Open Door Repertory Company), Clara (Open Door Repertory Company) and Eye of the Storm (Open Door Repertory Company).  Renardo won a Black Theater Alliance Award for his work in Eye of the Storm and was nominated for the same award for his work in Crowns.  

When he’s not onstage, Renardo can be found working diligently alongside his colleagues at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services where he has worked for 32 years.