Actress Joan McKenzie was born to perform

As an only child, Joan McKenzie quickly learnt to entertain herself, filling her days with creativity and a vivid imagination. Her dolls, teddy bears and even the trees in her yard became her audience, bearing witness to daily balcony performances. It was here that her love for theatre and the arts took root, shaping the path that would eventually lead her to content creation and acting.

For McKenzie, the COVID-19 period became a time of deep introspection. Faced with boredom and bouts of depression, she made a deliberate effort to reclaim her emotional well-being. In doing so, she tapped into her dramatic side, uncovering layers of her creativity that would go on to earn her recognition as one of Jamaica’s most popular content creators.

As she tells it, it all started kind of by accident, out of a need to stay mentally agile. “It definitely wasn’t planned. I actually graduated from Edna Manley with a Bachelor’s in Theatre Arts during COVID, and I had to go back to Clarendon. I was home alone because my mom had died previously, and I was cleaning up some stuff, and came across some old clothes and just made a video, and it went viral. I soon realised it was something that I wanted to do,” McKenzie told The Gleaner.

Making the transition from traditional acting to social media skits was not a huge leap. “So when I left college, I went on auditions, but nothing was happening during [the pandemic], as everywhere was shut down... but social media became a fun outlet and an easier platform to express myself. At first, I was scared to put myself out there but I decided to dive in and I enjoyed it... For me, it’s not just giving jokes and going viral it’s edu-tainment,” she added.

At first, balancing her many commitments felt overwhelming, but with better organisation, McKenzie found her rhythm. Juggling teaching theatre arts, content creation, rehearsals and performances could be hectic, she said, but her passion kept her going.

And what she does often times, gets more than just a chuckle. A recent parody of Miss World 1993 Lisa Hanna was so well received that even Hanna herself was amused.

“It was an idea I had since last year, and I was a bit scared to put it out as I didn’t know what kind of reception I would get. I admire her ... and every time she makes a video, I love it... Then I saw someone do a video, and I said look how me mek other people do what I intended to but my idea is different because people were just repeating what she said by lip syncing, so I decided to write my own dialogue and put it out.”

Thinking back to how the arts shaped her life, McKenzie, who hails from Beckford Kraal in Clarendon, recalls how her Grade 5 teacher used drama to help her prepare for the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), now known as the Primary Exit Profile (PEP).

“I liked it but it was when I went to Edwin Allen High that I was exposed to the different careers in drama,” she explained, adding “Every tun me tun, a me deh pon stage a perform, so it shaped my future and eventually sent me to Edna Manley. My first love was the visual arts, so I thought I would have done both majors, but in the end, I chose drama. The only thing I can’t do is sing, but me can do a little dub poetry, [and so on]...Yea, me versatile like that.”

Her ultimate goal she added, is to be a cultural icon. “When me gone a hundred years from now, my photo should be somewhere or my name engraved somewhere, and people have projects in schools to study me. I want to be a part of our cultural history. I am already doing movies as I did two films last year, one of which is Squatta should be released later this year.”

McKenzie is still adjusting to being recognised on the streets. “I especially love it when older people call out to me. I saw this older lady who shouted, ‘A you a the girl’, and I got fully into the conversation like I was the fan. I’m elated that the older generation is watching my content. It’s inspiring and beautiful to me,” she said.

nicola.cunningham@gleanerjm.com