Week long activities precede Actor Boy awards in Jamaica

Just before the Actor Boy Awards ceremony there will be a week of activities in celebration of World Theatre Week, in collaboration with the International Theatre Institute (ITI) Jamaica. This is according to Scarlett Beharie, president of the Jamaica Association of Dramatic Artistes (JADA), organiser of the annual award Actor Boy Awards ceremony.

During the week acitivies slated will include a symposium, poetry reading, and a directing workshop.

A symposium is slated today, March 27, World Theatre Day to kick off the weeklong activities. The theme of the symposium will be ‘From Periphery to the Centre, Theatre at Jamaica 50.’ The event begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Dennis Scott Studio on the grounds of The Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (EMC).
One focus will be how talent is valued in Jamaica, with a discussion on the lack of recognition of theatre practitioners in making a solid name for Jamaica on the world stage.

The discussion will highlight theatre and music beyond Bob and Miss Lou and Ranny ‘Maas Ran’ Williams.

JADA is all about, with both profit and non-profit, government and non-government agencies and communities, to move forward.”

March 28 Honor Ford-Smith, well-respected director and founder of Sistren Theatre Collective, will conduct a lecture called ‘Righting’ Our History – The Conscience of Post-colonial Playwrights. This event will also be held at the Dennis Scott Studio and will start at 6:30 p.m.

Focus of lecture being the works of Stafford Ashanti, Dennis Scott, with some references to Trevor Rhone, and also Marcus Garvey, in his role as producer. It is little known among Jamaicans Garvey is one of Jamaica’s early producers, giving opportunity to people like Maas Ran and Louise Bennett.

March 29, Thursday, will be a reading of poetry written by ITI members from the United States, Sweden, some countries in Africa, and Germany. This will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the ampitheatre of the EMC. The readings will be done by Jamaicans from the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts. The Theatre Day message from John Malkovich will also be read.

The three events are free.

On Saturday, March 31, internationally acclaimed director Yvonne Brewster conducts a directing workshop for specially invited guests.

On April 9, following the Actor Boy Awards, JADA will host a ‘Theatre Night Out’. At the Little Little Theatre, JADA hosts two plays- ‘Back a Yaad’ and ‘Where is My Father?’ at a discounted price.

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