Jamaica Youth Theatre (JYT) will present its production for 2010, Graffiti, at the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts (PSCCA) on the UWI Mona Campus from September 10 to 12.

Graffiti was first performed at Kingston on the Edge and later at the Contacting the World International Theatre Exchange in the United Kingdom in July of this year.

Graffiti: From Walls to Stage tackles local and international issues affecting today’s youth, issues such as the Armadale fire, the recent happenings in Tivoli Gardens and the Israel/Palestine war. This is done through poetry, dub rhythms, dance, song and multi-media. According to JYT, this production breaks new ground in Jamaican theatre.

Director Rayon McLean states: “The Graffiti idea came about following a cultural exchange with the Radiator Factory Crew from Denmark and the Jamaica Youth Theatre. Common themes expressed by the graffiti in both countries were transformed into theatrical pieces written by members of JYT. In Graffiti there is the cry for oneness, equality, children safety, and the celebration of the power of reggae music to unite people across many varied borders.”

JYT is a group of young performers from diverse sections of the island. It was formed in 2004 with students who had received acting awards at the annual Secondary Schools Drama Festival which is celebrating its 60th Anniversary in 2010. Current membership includes students at both secondary and tertiary level, from urban and rural communities.

In 2007 JYT received the Prime Minister’s Youth Award for Excellence in Arts and Culture. Also, after staging Errol Hill’s Man Better Man, the group received an Actor Boy Award for Best Drama. Group member, Danar Royal, was nominated for Best Choreography (2008). In 2008 and 2009, the group participated in the annual tertiary level theatre competition Tallawah, receiving several awards, Best Actor and Best Actress among them.

In July, JYT represented the island at the Contacting the World theatre festival in July which took place in Manchester, UK with companies from the United States, Switzerland, Denmark, Amsterdam, South Africa, UK, Indonesia and Iran.