PORUS, Manchester — A drama-filled stage play here on Easter Sunday revived family entertainment in this south-central town and sparked camaraderie among rival communities, bringing hope for stakeholders that the area is likely to remain crime-free.

Jamaican author and scriptwriter Roger O Williams told the Jamaica Observer that the stage play, dubbed The Stone That The Builder Refused, achieved his vision of bringing together the communities and reaching scores of young people.

“I chose Porus, because for the last 15 months Porus has been getting a lot of bad publicity. Everything coming out of Porus is either curfew, shooting, or highway cut out the town,” he said in reference to murders there throughout last year and the traffic bypassing the town due to the May Pen-to-Williamsfield leg of Highway 2000.

“I personally came up with the idea to revive this play to send a positive message to the youths of Manchester, because the parish has been in turmoil for the last couple of months, and we created the Manchester Higher Heights drama group to showcase the youths who are not only in Porus, but the wider parish,” he said.

The cast of eight, including Williams, energised the Porus Community Centre. It was a stark difference from the cries and loud explosions that erupted in the area following incidents of violence, including a double murder at a bar in close proximity to the centre last December.

The violence had resulted in months of curfews being imposed in Porus, adding to the economic hardship following the opening of the highway, when the area turned into a ghost town. The curfews were lifted last month by the police with a warning that the area must remain crime-free.

Williams said members of the cast — namely Dana Smith, Nicola Smith, Franklin Osbourne, Ranoy White, Horace Francis, Joseph Johnson, and Clayton Thompson — were first-time performers.

“A young man from Craighead is in the play, so the purpose of the group and the play is to showcase the talent of the young people and to encourage others to unveil their hidden talents,” he said.

“A lot of the actors, this was their first production. They didn’t know that they had this talent, so my purpose as a director and writer is to help youth. It is like a social intervention programme,” he added.

He said the involvement of young people brings about optimism for rural Jamaica in the arts.

“For most plays the cast are from Kingston, but to see people from Porus, it will shine a positive light on this little village that has a lot of talented people. We hope to encourage others across Jamaica to do the same and get involved in the arts,” he said.

Hugh “Ras Dago” Scott, who was the lead writer for the play in 1985 at the same community centre in Porus, was intrigued by the creativity of the drama group. He highlighted Williams and Barrington “Timex” Powell who are co-writers of the original play.

Williams said funding for plays can be a challenge, but with help from small business owners and members of the Jamaican Diaspora, Sunday’s event was successful.

“The turn out was great and it motivates us to go on,” he said. “The people within the Jamaican Diaspora, they are the ones who brought the mics. When they heard about the group and my intention they donated mics and props. It is very encouraging to see people who are not from Porus making this possible,” he explained.

Williams is no stranger to the performing stage, as he is a former member of the popular theatre producers Jambiz International.

“I came in plays like Ras Noah and the Hawk and Class of ’73,” he said.

In The Stone That The Builder Refused, Williams took on several roles as producer, director, co-writer, and actor.

“This is the first story that I worked on. I did not conceptualise it. This play was conceptualised by a Rastafarian elder, Hugh “Ras Dago” Scott. It was written in the 1980s by him and a comedian, Barrington “Timex” Powell. What I did was to modernise the play, update it, and add some stuff to it,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Tamara Hylton, a Jamaican living in the Turks and Caicos Islands, was amazed at the play and the dedication of Williams and the cast.

“I came here because I met Roger online through his books. I realised that he is a great author. He is just an awesome person in terms of his creativity, and when he told me he was doing this play I decided that I had to come here,” she said.

“I was really impressed by the production and the whole content of the play. It brought about a spirit of camaraderie within the community. This was a good way to bring the community together.”

Her 13-year-old son, Amiel Rose, shared similar sentiments.

“I think it was very good. I got the message that although life may not be going your way and people might bring you down, it is the same people who got [your] back and might help,” he said.

And Porus residents, like Macky, who was a technician for the production, are looking forward to more stage plays at the community centre.

“This play helps to cut off crime and violence, so that makes the people unite. The place was filled. Tickets were sold out and we would love to do this again another time,” he said.