Jackie Pualani Johnson: She Really Is Something!
By Britni Schock
Growing up, Jackie Pualani Johnson was drawn to drama from a young age. Born and raised in Hilo, Jackie started her journey in theater during high school. After nearly 40 years of working with the UH Hilo Performing Arts Department, Jackie retired at the end of the Spring 2017 semester. Outside of the UH Hilo community, she has also made a huge impact on the Hilo theater community. In a place where theater was not as well known four decades ago, Jackie changed that with her passion and creativity.
She recalls memories as a child living in Hilo when it was a much smaller town. Living near the Hilo Jail was somewhat eventful for the small, sleepy town. So when someone would get put into jail Jackie and the other kids would run around the house screaming in dramatic excitement. She says, “it was just part of the drama of childhood.” Having a grandfather who was very involved with music got Jackie familiar with music at a young age. Her passion for theater might have sparked as early as toddler years. Jackie recalls, “My favorite toy when I was a baby was a Viewmaster. Click click. You watch scenarios and they were three-dimensional so you can actually see some depth. They were wonderful, little scenarios and different ways of looking at stories. Click click. So I always think that must be why I fell in love with storytelling.”
Jackie began her career teaching theater when she felt a pull to move back home to Hilo after she had lived in Colorado, where she completed her Bachelors and Masters degrees. She said it made sense to return to Hilo and teach because she had great opportunities at the time. Also, Jackie had a wonderful mentor, Clarence Waipa, a Hawaiian man from Keaukaha, who appeared in a number of made-in-Hawai‘i Hollywood movies. He inspired her and ultimately changed her life.
Starting at UH Hilo, Jackie was solo in the theater department and had to be a ‘Jackie of all trades’, so to speak. She did costumes, makeup, stage/set design, acting, directing, and everything else that goes into a theater production. ‘Every aspect of art is involved’ in the theater process and Jackie felt unquestionably at home in that creative atmosphere. She said, “There is something about a theater when you have to do things, you don’t just plug into a class and walk away. Because after the class you go to a lab where youʻre building the set or you’re painting this or youʻre making a prop. You have to msake the fake fruit for Ms. Saigon. There’s this sense of it not just being functional, it’s much more participatory, but in the sense of it’s not a singular thread. It goes off in many directions and then it comes back and gets braided then goes off again. So you don’t feel like you’re just punching a clock as a student or as a teacher.”
Jackie is the founder of Shakespeare in the Park, Hilo’s popular production that happens each summer in Kalākaua Park. 2017 was the 40-year anniversary of Shakespeare in the Park. In the early years of the production, the streets surrounding the park would be closed off to traffic allowing people to stroll through and catch one of the many acts. You can still find crowds gathering around the live performances each summer, as this production is a local favorite. This year, Jackie was in the audience cheering them on. She said, “I enjoyed sitting and appreciating what we have built in all these years. And I say ‘we’ because every single person who has been a teacher here or leader, we have all played a part in making that happen.”
Jackie has also been involved in productions at various theaters and locations around Hawai‘i Island, some of which involved being at the very spot where the story being told actually took place. This grew to be one of her favorite ways to share her passion of performing and telling stories from the past. ‘Oral or Living History’ involves re-enacting real stories and events from the past. It is a way to show people a little piece of history while also entertaining them. She describes it as a wonderfully superb experience to get to bring some of these stories back to life and be standing right where the person she is portraying stood at one point in time. Jackie says that more often now she is drawn to stories like this because they have a deeper meaning and breathe a new vitality in history.
In honor of her retirement, and to celebrate all that Jackie has accomplished over the years, the UH Hilo Performing Arts Center put together an ensemble on May 7, 2017 to showcase some of Jackie’s favorite songs. This dedication to Jackie began with a tribute song to her. The song titled “Quite-a-lot” really defines what she has done over the years in the theater community and Jackie really has done quite a lot. Humble-hearted Jackie doesn’t like to take all the credit and she likes to emphasize the team spirit in the theater and how everyone helps each other. Jackie said, “We would like to think that is one of the differences about the theater here, it’s the idea that we are in this together as an island. There’s not that kind of rivalry but more resource sharing which is nice. We got to see each other plenty and there is a lot of cross-pollination which is really healthy. We use the word ‘ohana (family) but it’s truly so, this sense of working together, caring about each other, bringing cough drops if somebody is sick, it has every aspect. It is a real gratifying experience to be in a show with people.”
The room had a vibrant energy and every performance was a glimpse back in time into Jackie’s career. When you see the pure bliss on her face watching these performances, you know she truly enjoyed her job. When passion and career meet, it can create a magic that lasts forever. Jackie will definitely be remembered for her captivating presence and innovation in the Hilo theater community. With nearly a full house at the UH Hilo theater, the audience made it clear how much of an impact Jackie has made with their laughter, applause and standing ovations. Jackie said, “There is a wonderful thing that happens when you communicate with the audience and it never leaves you.”
Jackie was presented with a special gift at the end of the show from UH Hilo Performing Arts Center Manager, Lee Dombroski. She was given two full scrapbooks containing fond memories people had of her from over the years, along with a box of tissue because she “cries like the Hilo rain.” Lei covered Jackie as she sang along with the audience to “Don’t Cry for Me, Waiakea ‘Uka”, a song she wrote for Evita. It was a special moment for her and the crowd to be able to join together in a farewell song.
Jackie’s family has been with her during her theater journey, and they have also taken an interest and involvement in the drama. Jackie’s daughter even paid tribute to her mother in a beautiful solo from another one of her well known productions, Hilo: Da Musical!. The song “Semi-Precious Baby” was written in Jackie’s back room by Jeri Gertz, long-time friend and actor/director. Jackie said, “It was written for and won a slot on the Home Grown Album released as a result of a statewide contest in the early 1980s. I ‘snuckʻ it into Hilo: Da Musical! without Jeri knowing, honoring her by having the lead character sing the song in the show. She was agog, to say the least.” Her grandchildren have also spent a great deal of time behind the scenes with her on various productions. They have seen the time and commitment that goes into a show. As Jackie says, “When you’re in rehearsal that’s all you’re doing basically. Living, breathing, eating it. With the people who know and love you around you, who are not part of it, they have to have understanding and patience.”
Many productions and projects over the years with various people have made Jackie’s network and fan base quite extensive, both on and off the UH Hilo campus. Jackie sees the Hawai‘i Island theater community as one that builds each other up and shares resources instead of acting as competitive rivals. Amy Horst, a Instructor of Music at UH Hilo who has known Jackie for about 18 years said, “My fondest memory of her is not one incident, but of her constant joy in bringing actors to a higher skill level than they thought they could attain, and bringing world class performances to Hilo.”
When people come together with their creative ideas, a magical thing occurs. Hilo is clearly home to a variety of creative talents, many of which have had a great impact on the community. Jackie has most certainly left her mark and paved the way for future performing arts enthusiasts. She said, “If you know who you are and you’re comfortable with all of that, what’s possible? Everything!”
Jackie will always return to the theater for “The love of the music, the connection with people.” ❖
