John Kauffman
In the early 1980s, as AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) first appeared, rumors of a “gay plague” spread fear, misinformation, and a lack of understanding about the illness across the U.S., leading to social isolation and rejection by family, friends, employers, and even healthcare providers.
While the epidemic took an enormous toll on Hawaiʻi, its devastation was curtailed by the compassion and common sense that was a hallmark of the islands’ diverse local culture, exemplified by this story about John Kauffman and the Honolulu Theatre for Youth.
John Richard Kauffman (1947-1990) was a pioneering Native American (Nez Perce, Idaho) actor, playwright, and artistic director known for his dedication to storytelling. In the early 1970s, he co-founded Seattle’s Red Earth Performing Arts Company. His one-person show, Indian Experience, premiered at A Contemporary Theatre in Seattle and later toured Broadway and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The television adaptation of this performance earned him an Emmy Award.
John Kauffman, courtesy Seattle Rep.
In 1983, Kauffman became the artistic director of the Honolulu Theatre for Youth, where he brought national recognition to the company. He won two Poʻokela Awards for excellence in direction and was named the Outstanding Artistic Educator for 1988 by the Hawaiʻi Legislature. His one-man performance, According to Coyote, toured internationally, including stops in Russia and Australia in 1988.
Kauffman was diagnosed with AIDS in August 1988, but he chose not to live in silent fear. After struggling with what to do, he concluded that it would be demeaning to his colleagues not to tell them.
“This is an unhappy time and an unfortunate situation, but it is not the end of the world,” Kauffman said in a staff meeting.
Rather than reject and force him out, as did so many other workplaces and families to people living with AIDS, Honolulu Theatre for Youth staff said, “What can we do to help?”
Soon after, the HTY board of trustees issued a statement of support and created a catastrophic illness policy to encourage those stricken with illness to work as long as possible.
“We felt it was an important thing to put out for the theater community in general, to show how one theater handled it, instead of pretending that nothing had happened,” said HTY’s managing director Jane Campbell.
Kauffman continued working at the theater and became a national public health advocate, raising awareness about the impact of AIDS on individuals and families, urging society to work harder to find a cure. He died of AIDS-related cancer in early 1990.
“He always accepted he was going to die, but wanted to keep doing what he loved until he couldn’t anymore. He was brilliant, and he was a fighter, a great fighter,” said his friend and HTY associate director Karen Brilliande.
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, January 17, 1990
Banner image, John Kauffman performing in Indian Experience, 1972, courtesy of Seattle Rep.
In May 2023, Josephine Keefe, niece of John Kauffman, wrote about The Legacy of John Kauffman for Seattle Rep.