Western theatre unite!
Theatre lovers and participants are abuzz, following the recent announcement of the prestigious ITI Actor Boy Awards nominations for 2006.
Combine this with the apparent revival of the roots genre, following the runaway success of the torrid trio of Bashment Granny, Crazy Landlord, and Too Hot to Hangle, theatre in Kingston seems to be alive and very well indeed.
This begs the question: ‘Whither theatre in the west?’ Or would it be more accurate to lament ‘wither theatre in the west!’ Like a parched vine, is drama in the west withering and about to die?
Dramatic productions touring western Jamaica are almost guaranteed success, as the overwhelming support of theatre lovers this side of the island is well documented. It is not unusual for attendance to the ‘name brand’ plays at the Montego Bay Community College or Pier 1 to be in excess of 2,000 patrons.
Multiply that number by $700 to $900 a head for tickets and you understand one of the million dollar reasons why promoters from Kingston are so in love with our crowds out west. Savanna-la-Mar, Lucea and Santa Cruz are reported to be similarly lucrative.
So, as a long-time advocate for the creation and development of local ‘stars’, I wonder if “nutten naa gwaan fi wi?” What really is the future for budding actors/actresses here outside of ‘town’?
But enough of the questions. Let me attempt some answers, and offer some simple solutions.
UNITY: We do have competent practitioners out west, but we have got to unify for strength. Prominent producers, such as Sydney Reid, Bunny Allen (of Passa Passa fame), David Tulloch, Douglas Prout, Lloyd B Smith, Garfield ‘Movie Star’ Reid, ‘Big Head’, and a few others have got to combine efforts to come up with a cohesive strategy to maximise their individual efforts for the collective good.
VISION: The practitioners named above – coupled with the wisdom and experience from the likes of Weston Haughton, Walt Crooks, Dr Cecile Walden and Dr Angella Samuels-Harris – must meet to pinpoint our mission, and determine and formulate the vision. Montego Bay entertainment and culture has lagged behind Kingston for far too long. We must aggressively start to unearth, nurture and develop our own talented performers, as well as develop more profitable options.
STRATEGY & IMPLEMENTATION: As soon as we come together in unity, and buy into a shared vision for theatrical viability, we must translate that to activity. We hardly need to re-invent the wheel; we simply need to get it turning.
Western Jamaica can be proud of its theatrical successes to date. Yes, the Fairfield Theatre has been quietly making its contribution for 30-odd years. Yes, the phenomenal success of the record-breaking roots play Passa Passa is largely due to shrewd local producers. Yes, there is a lot happening out west that is not being properly recognised. But there is more work to be done.
Plans are already well advanced for recognising, and acknowledging our past and current stalwarts in the business. More will soon be heard of Montego Bay’s own Awards Ceremony for Excellence in Theatre, but that is clearly a step in the right direction. The Kingston-based Actor Boy judges (of a national award!) are finding it very difficult to see the productions in western Jamaica, so the sooner we start to develop, honour and salute our own, the better!
Douglas Prout is a veteran actor, producer and director.