“I feel like a piece of me has been viciously ripped away, leaving a raw scar that will probably never heal.”

That is how Lenford Salmon, director of local theatre production house Jambiz International, described his current state following Friday’s death of his business partner, theatre and mass spectacle director Trevor Nairne.

The 73-year-old Nairne, who directed the lion’s share of the the works mounted by Jambiz in its over 20 years of existence, had been ill for some time and succumbed to his ailments, leaving his beloved theatre community in mourning.

For Salmon, part of his distress is the fact that he was not with his friend and colleague during his final moments due to commitments overseas as special advisor in the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports.

“I am currently in Florida undertaking the Jamaica 60 overseas launches. I was at lunch with the minister and Roger and Ian Lewis from [reggae band] Innercircle to discuss some initiatives that we want them to assist us with when I got the call. He had been ill for a while and we were primed by the doctor to expect the worst. The thing about death is that even though you are prepared it is never a welcomed visitor,” said Salmon.

“The thing is, despite being primed I never expected it this soon. I thought I would have had more time. I return to the island on Monday and I just thought I would have had some time to spend with him to sit and just talk… I guess that’s why it is causing so much pain,” Salmon continued.

Jambiz International’s double threat of Nairne as director and Patrick Brown as writer has been the pair behind some of the most critically and audience acclaimed works to hit the stage in recent theatre history.

Their collaborations include Saving Alligator High, Ladies of the Night, Right Girl Wrong Address, Straight Jacket and scores more, including the most recent Windscream Posse which was pulled off stage in 2020 at the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Brown declined the Jamaica Observer’s request for an interview, stating: “I feel broken. That’s all.”

For Salmon, Nairne’s legacy will be his ability to take his talent to the stage as well as to the mass spectacle, which, for him [Salmon], is a rare gift.

“It is just unprecedented and unmatched. The skills to take it to the proscenium and then out in the mass space for events such as the annual Independence Grand Gala is just amazing and we have never had another. He was a giant of a man and his passing creates a void that will be difficult to fill. One of his most endearing qualities was his willingness to share. For those of us who were fortunate to sit at his feet, we were always left in awe of his creativity, his collaborative nature and his use of techniques that were so simple, yet so effective,” Salmon recalled.

He recalled a moment during the planning of the 2012 Independence Grand Gala when he wanted 50 motorcycles to roar into the National Stadium to commemorate Jamaica 50.

“I began telling him that I didn’t think it would work because of the cables running and other logistical issues. He calmly said to me, ‘Stop talking about what can happen and just make it happen’. I never forgot those words. On the night of the event when the bikes came into the stadium… it is a moment I will never forget,” Salmon shared.

Outside of the work environment Salmon noted that Nairne was just a great human being.

“We were more than business partners. We were brothers. It was more like a family. We knew each other’s children and shared a real bond, a real family and this is why his passing hurts so deeply.”

Entertainment and Culture Minister Olivia “Babsy” Grange added to the growing list of condolences which have been expressed since Nairne’s passing on Friday afternoon, referring to him as one of the most influential theatre directors in Jamaica’s history.

“Trevor Nairne was the conceptualiser behind Easy Street, a popular Jamaican musical comedy. He has also directed some of the most successful plays over the past three decades such as Friends, Oliver and Pinocchio and Breadfruit Kingdom. Trevor Nairne was awarded the Order of Distinction (Officer Class) national honour in 2010 for his contribution to the development of Jamaican theatre. Indeed, we lost another giant in the entertainment industry. He will be missed,” Grange said.