DEON Silvera doesn’t just walk into a room… she comes running. Some will attribute this to her limitless energy, others to the fact that she thrives on a daily schedule which would make an ordinary person’s head spin. But this 30-year veteran of stage and screen would have it no other way.

“I have to take care of the children and I am very bad at saying no. Just about anything that anyone asks me to do, if it’s packing a bag, going to the bank, doesn’t matter what, I always take on too much. It’s just something in me, I have to help,” she said with laughter.

The mother of three is also very hands-on with whatever is happening in her sons’ lives especially as it regards their education. From extra lessons to study groups, she ensures that they can access whatever it takes for them to succeed academically.

“My three sons Asfah, Jahmiel and Jahveon are my life so my day starts very early in order to get them ready and then to hit the road as chauffeur mom. Jahveon recently entered the working world, while the other two are in University but they are still my babies, so I am always actively involved in what they are doing.”

Silvera has appeared in scores of theatrical productions to date, including several LTM Pantomimes, and has also starred in sitcoms and major films. Recently, she appeared in a series of popular theatre productions namely Below the Waist, Bashment Granny 2 and Serious Business. For her, this experience has helped to broaden her stagecraft.

“I was exposed to more mass audience work as opposed to acting in a smaller space. There is also that impromptu style which is generated through audience dialogue or just by something different happening on stage. You have to improvise a lot and still make the context of the show and your character work and that was an interesting experience.”

Audiences who have seen her work will tell you that Silvera has an infectious laugh and is so engaging on stage that she pulls them in. She admits that this reflects her own personality as she channels the enjoyment she receives from being in a performance.

“I love the audience and when they are happy I get this feeling of gratification. Entertaining is what I do and to know that I have achieved that warms my spirit. I also love to laugh. I got that from my grandma, I’m a replica of her. “

Hailing from St Mary, the parish of fellow thespian Oliver Samuels, her true love for theatre began in high school where she entered the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission’s (JCDC) Performing Arts Festival where she copped gold awards for many years. She then journeyed to the Jamaica School of Drama where she honed her art. Since completing school theatre has been her mainstay.

“Keith Noel gave me a part in an Ed Wallace revue called The Good Doctor. Since then I have just been blessed to do show after show, theatre is all I do and have ever done. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Like so many other thespians her earliest inspiration came from the late Miss Lou and then upon arriving in Kingston, Oliver Samuels and Leonie Forbes were her mentors, imparting knowledge to her which she still applies today. She thinks one of the key factors to a play’s success is the chemistry shared among the cast, citing Volier Johnson, Terri Salmon, Audrey Reid, Keith ‘Shebada’ Ramsay, Dino Maharaj and Dahlia Harris as some of the actors with whom she has an incredible rapport

Of all the roles she has done she feels her most memorable is Jewel, the exotic dancer from David Heron’s Ecstacy. Silvera’s masterful display in the initial production in 1994, earned her the Actor Boy Award for Actress in a Lead Role. She recently completed a tour of Canada with the show and 16 years later she is still earning standing ovations.

“Anyone who really knows me will tell you that I can be really shy when it comes to physically exposing my body or engaging in conversations that are even slightly sexual in content. Jewel took me out of my comfort zone and stretched me somewhat. It really proved to be a challenge but one I am so proud that I took on successfully as it helped to pull me out of my shell.”

With over 30 years in theatre she admits that she has done most of the roles she hoped to play she however, has her eyes set on just one more.

“I would love to play a mad woman. A really stark staring mad woman but then people already think me is a mad gal so maybe they wouldn’t think I am acting!,” she quipped.

Silvera is pleased with the latest developments within the local theatre industry specifically as it relates to the variety of productions on offer. She contends that there is something to match all tastes and consistently always something to see. For her an increase in the number of productions not only spells more work for thespians, but can also inspire development of the arts.

Outside of her own work on stage, Silvera has been teaching Speech and Drama at Rousseau Primary and has been writing short poems for the school. This has reaped several national gold and trophy awards at the JCDC’s Speech Festival. Presently she is preparing for the role of Janet in the exciting new drama Judgement, scheduled to open at The Pantry Playhouse on Boxing Day, December 26.

“I like her because she is different from the roles I typically play. Janet has some naiveté but is still a no-nonsense person, while she is kind at heart she but won’t be manipulated. She’s the friend everybody hopes they can have, a friend to the end,” she told Splash.

To young and upcoming thespians she offers, “The sky’s the limit, go for it. Be yourself. Once you conceive it, you can achieve it, and never forget to give God the glory.”