TO say Rayon McLean is overjoyed is an understatement. The writer, director, and artistic director of Quilt Performing Arts Company is ecstatic with the 15 Actor Boy Award nominations his epic musical drama, Re’Ashored, has received.

McLean told the Jamaica Observer that he was watching Saturday’s online announcement of the nominations and realised that the production he wrote and directed racked up recognition in multiple categories.

“I am so happy about all of this. We have a Quilt WhatsApp group and we were all reporting on the nominations as they came in. There was so much excitement as the numbers grew. When it was all done and we realised it was 15, there was even more celebration among us. So we are excited, happy, and humbled by this recognition,” said McLean.

His joy and excitement comes partly from the fact that this was never expected for a work of Re’Ashored’s nature.

“This was such a big experiment. Yes, you had persons coming up to me and saying this is the strongest thing they have seen in local theatre for quite some time, but I knew what it was about. Quilt is a workshop, so we are always working and training. The company is process-driven so again it is really great to see work of this nature being recognised. As the song says, we do it for the love and not for the likes, but at the same time we certainly want people to love what we do. These 15 nominations is especially great for our younger members, who can now use this as motivation to reach further, work harder, and do more,” he explained.

Re’Ashored, which examines the transatlantic trade of enslaved Africans, from the perspective of Yoruba cosmology, is nominated for Best Production; Best Director (Rayon McLean); Best Drama; Best Choreography (McLean and Roxan Webber); Best Sound Design (McLean and Maya Wilkinson); Best Lighting Design (Nadia Roxburgh); Best Costume Design; Best Set Design; Best Musical; Best Special Effects Design (Wilkinson); Best Actor in a Lead Role (Desmond Dennis).

The production also has nominations in two categories. Odain Murray and Brandon McFarlane are up for Best Actor in A Supporting Role.

Two of the production’s songs, Ship ah Come and IleLa Wa, have also been nominated for Best Original Song.

While grateful for all nominations, Best Director strikes the loudest chord for McLean.

“When you look at all the people I am nominated alsongside: Dahlia Harris, Trevor Nairne, Patrick Brown and so on… I am in awe. These were the people who judged me in the JCDC (Jamaica Cultural Development Commission) drama festival. These are the people I look up to in local theatre… these are my mentors,” he gushed.

“So to be seen as their peers in this category is a little humbling and daunting at the same time. The little student actor in me, that little boy, has always been impressed by these people. So on some levels it feels like some kind of victory for me already, whatever the outcome,” McLean added.

The Best Supporting Actor nods for Murray and McFarlane also sit well with him as well as nominations for Best Original Song.

“When you think that Brandon is only 16 years old this is great stuff. It speaks to the training aspect which is critical, and Quilt. It is all about the process first and then the product after. It shows what can happen when you invest in talent and give young people and opportunity to harness and showcase their talent. I am also not shocked, but still very happy about the nominations for music. We brought in Odain Dawkins to be our musical director, and what we got was really great stuff,” noted McLean.

Quilt was founded 10 years ago by Rayon McLean, a past student of Glenmuir High School, where he was active in the school’s choir and participated in speech and drama. He would later become a member of Jamaica Youth Theatre, created by the late Aston Cooke.

He recently returned to the island after completing postgraduate studies in applied theatre at Goldsmiths, University of London.

A date for the announcement of the winners of the Actor Boy Awards is still to be determined, though a date in May is being considered.

Organisers are also working out a format for the event given restrictions under the COVID-19 pandemic.