Janine Myers was born and raised on Oahu, attended the Waldorf School through the eighth grade, and went from there to Punahou School. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in technical theater, with an emphasis on lighting design, at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn. After college, she worked as a temp in Minneapolis, “ran away” for about six months to London, where she had previously spent her junior year abroad and then returned to Hawaii. The year was 2002.

Myers’ first job on Oahu was with the Honolulu Theatre for Youth. It was the start of a career “behind the lights” in local theater, and also working with Hawaii’s major concert- and event-lighting companies, that has earned her 14 Po‘okela Awards for excellence from the Hawaii State Theatre Council.

Myers, 42, became Manoa Valley Theatre’s production manager in January. She’ll be doubling as lighting designer when MVT’s production of “Popcorn Falls” — a two-actor dramatic comedy about a small town that tries to stave off destruction by opening a theater — opens for live in-theater performances March 18.

Congratulations on the new job! Let’s start with the basics. What does a production manager do?

A production manager is responsible for making sure that all of the elements of the show run smoothly and are “talking” with each other. It’s my job to make sure that we have a good design team on board, that everybody is communicating effectively, that we’re having production meetings in a timely fashion — all of the nuts and bolts of getting the production physically happening.

What can we expect with “Popcorn Falls”?

We have two actors who are playing more than 20 different characters, and I’m playing three roles as production manager, lighting designer and master electrician. I think right now in live events, in order to keep it going, those of us who are still lucky enough to be working in it are wearing multiple hats.

Are smaller productions the short-term future for in-theater performances in Hawaii?

I do for the time being, yes. Until we can get herd immunity, until enough of us are vaccinated, and until enough of our audience feels comfortable coming back in that capacity. These smaller productions are where we need to be for the time being. After “Popcorn,” we have “Tiny Beautiful Things” (in May), which has a cast of four, and “Daddy Long Legs” (in July), which has a cast of two.

Looking back over your work to date, do you have a favorite show or two as lighting designer?

I love lighting dance concerts. Some of the dance concerts I’ve been able to light at Paliku have been really some of my favorites because it’s so purely about the form and about emotion. When I’m working on a musical or a straight play, it becomes much more about supporting the action and the emotion of what’s going on in the play. With dance I get to distill it down into just the motion and the emotions. A show that more people may have seen that I really enjoyed lighting was “Children of Eden” at Paliku.

Can you go to a show without critiquing the lighting?

As a short answer, no. I can’t even go to a show in the West End (of London) or on Broadway and not be looking at the lighting.

What do you enjoy doing that is not work-related?

I really enjoy cooking and baking. In this past year you’ve probably seen me pushing bread products on Facebook. I also really enjoy getting out in the natural world and being not inside my black boxes, and hiking and being on the ocean, too.