Joan McKenzie is a girl of many skills: actress, producer, instructor and content material creator. On the coronary heart of all of it is a deep, unwavering love for Jamaican tradition. Whether or not she’s crafting laugh-out-loud skits or directing a full-length theatre manufacturing, Joan is on a mission to protect, have a good time and train the richness of Jamaica’s heritage.
From Clarendon to Centre Stage
Raised in rural Clarendon, Joan’s creative journey started at house, performing for her mom and mimicking folks she noticed locally. Whereas most youngsters had been glued to cartoons, Joan was already drawn to theatre, particularly Jamaican performs and Tyler Perry’s Madea motion pictures.
Her massive “aha” second got here in Grade 6 when a instructor used drama to assist the category put together for exams. It lit a hearth in her, and he or she by no means regarded again. Highschool at Edwin Allen gave her course, and Edna Manley Faculty gave her the instruments. Collectively, they shaped the inspiration of the artist and educator she is in the present day.
Educating with Objective
As a theatre arts instructor, Joan doesn’t simply train drama. She makes use of it as a therapeutic device. For her, the stage is an area for self-discovery, confidence-building and cultural connection. She’s captivated with utilizing the humanities to form younger minds, instil pleasure in Jamaican identification and assist college students discover their voice.
“I consider we study higher once we benefit from the message,” she says. “I’m a instructor at coronary heart whose goal is to the touch hearts by way of the humanities.”
The Delivery of Joan Kenzie Productions
Joan’s manufacturing firm was born out of each ambition and grief. In 2014, as a scholar, she staged her first play at Edwin Allen Excessive. However it was after dropping her mom in 2019 that the imaginative and prescient actually got here to life. The corporate’s tagline, By no means Lose Hope, is a tribute to her mom, Hope, and a guiding gentle for Joan’s whole physique of labor.
“That have deeply reshaped not simply my work, however my goal. I not noticed the humanities as simply leisure or efficiency, it turned a device for emotional launch, connection, and restoration.”
From promoting $200 tickets in her group to packing theatres with $3,500 productions, Joan Kenzie Productions has grown into a robust artistic drive. She’s even labored with legends like Oliver Samuels, Dahlia Harris and contemporaries like Everaldo Creary, folks she as soon as admired from afar.
Comedy Meets Tradition
Although her work spans critical themes and stage productions, comedy has develop into one among Joan’s signature instruments. Her on-line skits mix humour with nostalgia and are full of acquainted characters impressed by actual life. However it’s by no means simply laughs for laughs’ sake. Each bit carries a message, usually hidden behind the punchlines.
“My performances are primarily for edutainment and igniting consciousness,” she says. “Even when my tales are humorous, they usually carry layers of reality, reminiscence and emotion.”
Sporting Many Hats and Nonetheless Displaying Up
Regardless of her demanding schedule, Joan stays deeply dedicated to her college students, her viewers, and her artwork. She jokes about needing a planner and whiteboard simply to maintain her days on monitor, however her work ethic is not any laughing matter. Whether or not she’s scripting a play, mentoring a scholar, or crafting content material for one among her many ambassador roles (together with for Juici Patties, VM Group, and the Ministry of Well being), Joan exhibits up with full coronary heart and fierce intention.
What’s subsequent for Joan? Kulcha Re-Konnek, a cultural programme designed to reconnect younger folks with conventional Jamaican video games, tales and experiences, is about to develop, with plans underway to develop a stage manufacturing impressed by the initiative. Pushed by a want to bridge the widening hole between youth and heritage, the mission brings tradition to life in methods which might be recent, enjoyable and deeply relatable.
“Preserving and performing Jamaican traditions by way of video games and tales is essential for younger folks in the present day as a result of it helps them join with their roots, construct a powerful sense of identification, and develop cultural pleasure.”
She’s additionally targeted on increasing her digital presence to achieve much more audiences. And the large dream? “I would like all of it, as soon as it’s on this trade,” she says with out hesitation.
Last Phrases of Knowledge
Requested what recommendation she’d give to younger creatives, Joan says merely: “By no means lose hope.” It’s greater than a slogan—it’s how she lives, teaches, and creates. In a world that always underestimates artists from small communities, Joan McKenzie is proving that rural roots can yield world attain—and that tradition, when held with love, could be each a weapon and a balm.
Comply with Joan’s journey:
Instagram: @joan_kenziee
TikTok: @joan_kenzie
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