Aisha Ritchie always loved the stage and acting. Growing up in Franklyn Town, east Kingston, she performed with her church’s arts group.

The talent she honed as a teenager paid off with an Actor Boy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Lead Role.

“I was shocked! I felt privileged but humbled. I was definitely surprised,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

Ritchie plays Mrs Chambers in One Blood which is produced by Dredz Productions.

Other nominees for Best Actress in A Lead Role are: Sabrina Thomas ( As He Watches); Trishana Wright ( Sugar Day); Maylynne Lowe ( Maas Matt Comes to Town); and Neisha Yen Jones ( What Goes Around).

Ritchie said she put in a great deal of work for her part.

“I moved from being in the play to not being in the play, to being an understudy then having alternate roles, then from there to lead female role. It was my director, David Tulloch, who pushed me to keep going even though it was a lot of work and research,” she explained.

“I’m not like Mrs Chambers at all. She’s used to the rich life and good living. Her character is very uptown, a little snobbish so I had to really go hard to play that part,” Ritchie continued.

Though she differs from the character, they share a similar story.

“She (Mrs Chambers) came from very humble beginnings but she worked her way up to a place where she can say she is comfortable and I feel like I too had a similar journey,” she said.

This is 30-year-old Ritchie’s first Actor Boy Award nomination but she does not plan to stop here. Inspired by Leonie Forbes, Fae Ellington and Camille Davis, she wants to become a force on the stage.

She was a member of the Undercover Craziness cast in 2015 and is currently working on Special Cuts, another Dredz Production.

Ritchie said the acting business is tough for new faces but advises budding actors to stick to it.

“Jamaicans are loyal to who they know; we used to the ‘Olivers’ (Samuels) and the other famous acts so when you are a new face it is more difficult for you to break into the industry. So, if you are a new face, don’t get daunted. Never in a million years did we think One Blood would have received 12 nominations, but it did and that is a testament to the fact that hard work pays off, so if it is your passion, then stick to it!” she advised.

The Actor Boy Awards are scheduled for Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston on April 15.