JuCoby Johnson (he/him) is a New York-based playwright, actor, and screenwriter originally from Jacksonville, Florida. As an actor, he has performed at the Guthrie Theater, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, the Jungle Theater, Theater Latté Da, Theater Mu, Ten Thousand Things Theater, and many more. His plays include How It’s Gon Be (Echo Theater, 2023; Underdog Theater, 2019), ...but you could’ve held my hand (IAMA Theater, 2026; The Contemporary Theatre of Ohio, 2022; Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, 2020), 5 (Jungle Theater, 2023; Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, 2022; Seven Devils Finalist), Heritage (International Black Theater Festival, 2024), The Red Man (2026/2027 Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition Winner; Ojai Playwrights Conference, Pacific Playwrights Festival, Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference Finalist, Seven Devils Finalist, all 2025), Three-headed Monster (Upcoming 2027 Rolling World Premiere: South Coast Repertory and The Old Globe; Powers Festival & Pacific Playwrights Festival, both 2026), and Help! Help! Want. Want. Want. (The Playwrights' Center's PlayLabs Festival, 2025; Juilliard's Norman Festival, National Capital New Play Festival, both 2026). His screenwriting credits include The Runarounds (Amazon). Johnson is an alumnus of The Juilliard School's Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program, the recipient of McKnight and Jerome Hill Artist Fellowships, is a member of the 2026 Page 73 Writers Group and a Playwrights' Center Core Writer. More info at jucobyjohnson.com.
Free
Playwrights’ Center
October 24 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm CDT
About the play
A woman escapes to the woods to be alone and is haunted by the ghosts of her past and present. Help! Help! Want. Want. Want. is a play about love, regret, and finding the will to live.
Attend a pre-show chat
Join us for Prologue: a pre-show chat with playwright JuCoby Johnson and Many Voices Fellow Vinecia Coleman.
The conversation will start at 6:15 p.m. prior to the reading at 7:00 p.m. No RSVP necessary to attend this conversation.
I started writing this play in 2020, with a cloud of despair hovering over everything. In that time, I learned that the only way out of despair is through. It cannot be ignored. It must be faced. Embraced even. Which led me to write this story about a woman deep in the throes of despair and what happens when she is forced to address it head on, whether she’s ready or not.
Making your reservation
The sign up link below is for the in-person reading on Friday, October 24. If you need to reserve your spot for Thursday, October 30 instead, you can do so here.»
Walkups are welcome, but we cannot guarantee there will be available seating without a reservation.
This reading will be recorded and made available to view online November 17–23. You can sign up to watch that recording here.»
If you have any questions about making your reservation, please email us at rsvp@pwcenter.org.
Planning your visit
All seating is general admission. We recommend arriving 10-15 minutes prior to the reading to check in and find your seat.
Visit our About page to learn more about parking and accessibility.
Large groups
If you are making a reservation for more than six people, please email rsvp@pwcenter.org to arrange. If you make a reservation for more than six, a member of our Advancement team may be in touch closer to the reading date to confirm final numbers for your group.
JuCoby Johnson
