Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
Members of the University Players do a short presentation from 'The Black That I Am', launched at the Philip Sherlock Centre for The Creative Arts, UWI, Mona campus on Monday. - WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
THUNDEROUS RHYTHMS of the drums, played by the St. Catherine drummers, roared The Black That I Am into being at the round at the Phillip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts (PSCCA), University of the West Indies, Mona. The experimental play written by Karl Williams and directed by Brian Heap was launched on Monday.
The cast, all dressed in black, sprang or walked into view declaring, "The black that I am" and their names. They moved to inhabit the central space at the round, which was decorated by black and white photographs from the UWI Camera Club 2005 exhibition. The production will open May 6, and run at the PSCCA for the remainder of the month.
The Black That I Am is being staged by the University Players, a group with no set membership. This time, it features Jerry Benzwick, Monique Cesar, Teisha Duncan, Canute Fagan, Nadia Khan, Peter Parkinson, Germain Rowe, Nadean Rawlins, Nickosia Shakes and Sheldon Shepherd, with choreography by Shelly-Ann Maxwell and Neila Ebanks.
Hosted by Dahlia Harris, the launch was kept short and to the point and delivered a tiny slice of what the production had to offer, delivering one of the dances and a reading of the title poem. Its content, however, was explained, first by its director and then by the playwright.
RE-VAMPED
Heap explained that the University Players was re-vamped to explore issues, new and established works and pieces that examine burning issues. The group made its return with Sex! Thanks Don't Mind if I Do, followed by last year's One of Our Sons. The Black That I Am will be its third production.
He further explained that the production, which is a multi-disciplinary work, was conceptualised two years ago when he heard Williams, his past-student on Radio Mona reading the title poem. "It's like a Chinese meal," he said. The ingredients have all been "chopped up and hopefully it will result in a 'nice stir fry'."
Using a series of monologues, dance and images The Black That I Am looks at issues of race, representation and identity. "Of course, I'm only black by assimilation," Heap would later declare, to the audience's amusement. Indeed, when he walked on to the stage, someone in the audience murmured, "The white that I am" in reference to how the cast was introduced. "The thing that I want to highlight about the University Players is the artistic and cultural freedom so that we can explore any issue we want to explore." The statement was relatively cryptic and suggested that some controversial issues might be unveiled in the production.
Williams explained that the fact that the production has a white director and features light-skinned actors is a part of what the production will deal with. The Black That I Am is his writing debut. "A lot of people have invested in me over the years and I don't intend to let them down," he said.
He explained, however, that as the work is his first he needs honest feedback that can guide him for the future. "Don't just tell me you don't like it," he said, explaining that he wanted to know how to improve for the next work. "Because," he told the audience, "there will be a next time."
