WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Johnson West

Covering theater for as long as I have is not without its privileges, chief among them being the opportunity to witness some very talented people come and go from the various stages in my life (and at varying stages in their careers) on the various stages I have been honored to cover over the years. While keeping up with them nowadays may be as easy as signing onto social media, their contributions to the cultural fabric of a major creative hub like Nashville (a city where virtually everyone sings, writes, makes music, and/or has a development deal in the works) may be unknown to a great many people now walking in their very footsteps.

More importantly, perhaps, seeing as how I know where the bodies are buried-both literally and figuratively-I am provided a unique perspective on the personalities that have shaped theater in Tennessee for at least the past 37 years (if you count that first show I reviewed as a college sophomore). Today you will be introduced to two of the best people to ever walk onto a Tennessee stage via what has quickly become our most popular feature series...WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Today, our spotlight falls on Johnson West, one of the most likable actors to ever walk onto a Nashville stage. Johnson is the type of actor you cannot help but fall a little in love with every time he enters stage left, the kind of guy you can just imagine being the best friend you've always dreamed of when he exits stage right, or the fellow you will tell all your closely held secrets to over a cold beer after the curtain has been rung down.

Recently, when ACT 1 announced auditions for its upcoming production of Lanford Wilson's Fifth of July, my mind suddenly went back (okay, it may have limped back, truth be told) to the first production of the play in Nashville, with Johnson West cast in one of the leads. Although my memories may be crowded by the total number of shows I've seen in the past 27 years, Johnson West's sensitive and focused performance remains fresh in my mind...which set me off on a quest to find out what he's doing now and what he remembers best about his time onstage in Music City.

Currently, Johnson is the director of global payroll for Deckers Brands which is a company that owns several brands of shoes including UGG of Australia, Teva, Sanuk, Hoka One One, Simple and some smaller brands like Tsubo, Ahnu and Mozo.

"I am married to Lori Drawbaugh West, have a five-year-old son, Larsen, and we are living just north of Santa Barbara, California aka 'Paradise'," he says.

What brought you to Nashville in the first place? I am a fourth generation Nashvillian, born in St. Thomas Hospital. I am one of those rare creatures known as a Nashville Native.

How did your time here prepare you for where you are now in your career arc? I think that a performing artist has to reinvent himself/herself upon every approach to a role. Particularly, when an actor indulges in the "total immersion" practice, you have to rewire the brain for behavior, speech, appearance and all else.

Since I am no longer in the arts, I've approached several different work disciplines using the valuable tenets that were offered to me in Nashville. Nashville prepared me extremely well to take an idea, build a story, flesh it out, polish and present it. Those ideas can be carried to any facet of the workforce. Also, being able to articulate your thoughts, interpret a concept and stand before a group of executives comfortably is a leg up in any corporation.

What's your most vivid memory of your time in the Volunteer State? One night at the Barn - during the interim of Chaffin's ownership, there was a Saturday evening performance where everything went wrong. I don't want to be too specific in order to protect the guilty, but it involved missing sound cues, loud crashing noises off stage, a very audible verbal confrontation from the wings, actors falling down and the rest of us trying to remain calm and deliver the most unfunny dinner theatre script ever produced. Let's just say the night wound up with a gathering of most of the cast and wait staff at St. Thomas Hospital. Sorry for the tease, but this story is better heard and not read.

Who were some of the people in Nashville who had a lasting impact on your and/or your career? Marianne Clark - the first person to get me up onto a stage. Her guidance and friendship during my high school days and beyond gave me the confidence that has lasted a life time. We lost touch over the last few years and I was saddened to hear of her sudden passing.

What advice would you give to someone taking their first steps to becoming a part of the theater scene here? Be available. Be present. Understand that no matter how much experience you have, you always need to learn more. Don't demand. And be nice, no one wants to work with an asshole.

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