Jon Jon Johnson

about me

Jon Jon Johnson (Deputy Smee) is a DC Based Actor, Writer, Poet, Musician, Composer, Fortune Teller, Art Addict, Pokemon Master, etc. He has worked with many of the DC Area's fine theatre companies, including 1st Stage, Forum Theatre, Flying V, Pinky Swear Productions, Doorway Arts Ensemble, WSC Avant-Bard, Spooky Action, YPT, and many more. He is a company member of Pallas Theatre Collective, LiveArtDC and Avalanche Theatre Company. He fancies himself a mystery, but will happily answer questions asked of him. He has aspirations to be a novelist and a playwright, as well as a general artistic jack-of-all trades. Love to LF, LH, KH, AO, JTO, RT, RAJ, JCW, and NN.

on growing up...

You grow up and you realize that your frustrations can't be solved with a playground scuffle or a well-thought out barter. You grow up when you realize that sometimes you must accept the futility of a situation. You grow up when you learn to let things go. You grow up when you learn that not everyone will be kind. You grow up when you realize that you can and will fail, and that despite your failure, you must keep going. You grow up when you learn that failure isn't the end, that it in fact is your greatest ally in getting through life. You grow up when your heart breaks and comes back stronger than ever. You grow up when you learn that that cycle of heartbreak never ends, but you get a little stronger each time.

on a personal note...

Who do you play? Describe your character.

I play Smee, Hook's Right Hand Man. In our world, he's formerly a Lost One, who left in order to find a better place for himself, and to try and help out those left behind. He's not been successful in the latter, as he's hopelessly trapped in a system that's tilted heavily against them. Smee is not as intelligent as Hook, but he has a lot of heart. He was also one of the Lost Ones who recruited Pan back in the day, so Smee's intersectionality is that of someone trapped between both worlds, unable to make significant changes to one side or the other.
What is your favorite part of this process?

Oh God, what ISN'T my favourite part? Improving with Ryan (Hook), and Sharisse (Tink), and the constant discussions of privilege, power, and systematic oppression, etc...this is like a dream process
What is the hardest part of this process for you?

Despite Smee's intentions, he's a bad guy. He definitely feels like a villain, though he desperately does not want to be. It's hard for me to play the oppressor, knowing just how oppression affects so many people in my life. Also, unlike the original Peter Pan story, ours is not so clearly back and white (See what I did there?). It's so complex and so deep, and while I love that investigation, there's a part of my brain that screams: "I wish this was easier.
Why is this show important to you?

We're tackling a huge issues that's been in this country since it's foundation. Race Relations and the tensions between races have always been chalked up to "White people this, black people that, look at the asians", etc. This piece gives us a chance to explore and grapple with the ideas between them. We touch on so many important issues in the process, such as the struggles of classism, police abuse...etc. How not all policemen are brutal sociopaths, how not all inner city kids are thugs, etc. It really blurs the lines and I think it forces us to look at the humanity of both sides, which is incredibly important to remember. This show reminds us the complexity of ourselves as humans, and how that complexity makes our topics and themes so very difficult to navigate.
What is one thing you have learned from making this show?

This feels like a cop-out answer, but I've learned that there's still so much more to learn. I want to have more discussions and do more in order to keep battling this seemingly constant barrage of racial and police related issues. The hardest lesson, I think I learned, is that these things won't be resolved in my lifetime. I can only lay down the groundwork for the next generation to step up and continue the good fight, and make sure they're as well-equipped as possible
If you could stay any age forever, what age would you stay and why?

I dislike the notion of forever. As a buddhist, I believe firmly in the ephemerality of everything. I'd rather die and give my life meaning than to live forever. However, if I could stay at, like, 25 for the rest of my life? I'd be pretty okay with that. I mean, I'd love to retire, but at the same time, 25 I'm at the peak of my physicality, I can do most things legally, and I feel like that's where I really started to hit my stride as an adult.
Was there ever a time when you were afraid for your life?

Honestly, plenty. My childhood had many times when I should have died. I have PTSD, specifically triggered by the presence of hand-guns, so there are chances that I relive those moments of fear every time I'm in the same room as one that's not in a holster.
What was your favorite bedtime story and why?

I never got bed-time stories as a child. I would usually read, though I had a love of "The Secret Garden". I loved reading passages as I went to bed.
Why did you want to be a part of SOTM?

There's so much I wanted to say with this piece. Not to mention, I spend so much time yelling about issues of race on Facebook, it seemed like a good place to bring to the table what I had learned and present it in a way that is both informative and beautiful. That's the great joy of making art, to me. SOTM provided me that opportunity to say something important in an artistic way, and I feel like that's what my skillset enables me to do best.
If you feel you have privilege, have you ever used it in your favor? If so, for what?

If I have used my privilege in my favour (as I'm sure I have), I do not recognize that I have. Therein is the great power of privilege, is that when you use it, you're unaware of it. It's so inherently part of who you are as a person, that you're unaware when it rears its head. If I have actively used it, it was in favour of helping my friend warn a group of people about someone who had sexually abused her. She was ready to talk about it, but was not ready to initiate the discussion. I offered to start the discussion, but promised to back off as soon as she said she was uncomfortable, or didn't wish to continue. I use my privilege in order to open the door for others to speak, and make sure I back off so as not to turn into a savior.