Stratford Central Secondary School students are seen in May 2009 production of teen playwright Britta Johnson's Big Box Story. The Stratford Shakespeare Festival will mount the hit high school musical for one night in August. (Terry Manzo/Courtesy Stratford Shakespeare Festival)Still amazed that her full-length musical had a sold-out run at her school this spring, teen playwright, composer and lyricist Britta Johnson is poised for an even greater honour this summer when her production appears on a Stratford Shakespeare Festival stage.

The 18-year-old's musical Big Box Story will be performed at the festival's Avon Theatre for a one-night-only performance, on Aug. 31.

"Growing up in Stratford, [the festival's] stage is kind of like the pinnacle," she told CBC News. "That's always where you imagine yourself in your wildest dreams. That's where I've always gone to the theatre, so just to think that something I'm involved in is going to be up there — even for just one night — is beyond anything I could ever imagine. It's so surreal."

Johnson, the daughter of two professional musicians, began playing the piano as a toddler. She was previously recognized for her one-act musical AdoleSense at a provincial competition in 2008.

Buoyed, the ambitious teen then decided to try writing a full-length musical and pitched the project to her drama teacher and principal as part of a writing co-op at Stratford Central Secondary School, which staged the production in May.

The plot, which she described as "satire, silly and [with] about a million characters," was inspired by her hometown's real-life battle against big-box retailers, Johnson said.

"I wanted it to be fun for people my age, something that would engage them," she said, adding that community youth have indeed been engaged in opposing corporate giants.

Story is 'smart, empowering'

Keira Loughran, the Stratford festival's associate director of new play development, worked with Johnson during the school year to tighten, focus and hone Big Box Story, a tale of "corruption, greed, integrity and hope" set in a fictitious discount retailer outlet called HoggsMart.

For her musical Big Box Story, Britta Johnson wrote the book, composed the songs, penned the lyrics, directs the production and accompanies on piano. (Courtesy Stratford Shakespeare Festival)"It was quite clear how keen the students were on it and how much they related to it, and were sort of proud to be part of something that was so fun, but also smart and empowering," Loughran said.

She praised the multi-faceted Johnson, who wrote the book [the story and dialogue] for the pop culture-infused musical, composed its songs, penned the lyrics, directs the production and accompanies live on piano.

"It exceeded my expectations of a student-written play, particularly one that is so text-based…. A lot of youth right now are creating work through improv and they don't have the same type of rigour around text-work," Loughran said.

"Britta's exceptionally talented and dedicated as an artist. She's got a great sense of humour, which was really clear right from the get-go. It's smart, it's young, it's fresh. As a young writer, she has a very clear voice within the piece."

'High school is a playground'

Though Johnson said she found mounting the production incredibly challenging ("Now I understand why there's a [separate] book writer, a music writer, a lyricist," she quipped), the teen playwright realized that her final year of secondary school was a perfect testing ground.

"High school is a playground and you can just try whatever you want. The stakes aren't all that high. If you mess up, it's OK, it's not like your career is on the line," she said.

Many in the community stepped up with invaluable assistance, from a Stratford actor who developed the choreography, to parents who arranged the costumes, to Johnson's mother, who dealt with advertising and "bringing in snacks for the cast" of 38 high schoolers, Johnson recalled.

'High school is a playground and you can just try whatever you want. The stakes aren't all that high. If you mess up, it's OK.' —Britta Johnson, Big Box Story creator

Public demand following the school's original, sold-out, five-day run pushed school officials to stage an additional performance. The extra show — which also sold out — attracted local politicans, including Mayor Dan Mathieson, and sparked a citizen to send an effusive letter to the editor of the Stratford Beacon Herald, calling for the Stratford festival to stage the musical.

Though her cast is mostly on summer break, Johnson plans to meet with key members to go over some changes she has made since the spring. Her cast and crew will then assemble for an intense three-day rehearsal in the Avon Theatre, under the guidance of festival experts, in the days leading up to the performance.

"Every step of the way, I've just been amazed," remarked Johnson, who is also juggling an audition for the University of Toronto's theatre program in late August.

"Two years ago, I wouldn't have thought this would be anything I would have interest in. I've just kind of gone with any idea I've had at any moment."