Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
( left )Nicosia Shakes plays a close- minded church woman in 'The Black That I Am', a Theatrical Meditation, playing at the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts, UWI, Mona campus. ( right )Nadia Kahn, plays a 'browning in transit' in The University Players production 'The Black That I Am', a Theatrical Meditation, playing at the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts, UWI, Mona campus. - WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
AS A poem, The Black That I Am is interesting, though lacking in poetic strength. However, when it is stretched into a dramatic monologue it becomes stronger, and when it is further expanded into a full length play it becomes a very impressive piece of theatre.
The production, currently being staged at the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts, University of the West Indies, Mona, is the writing debut of actor Karl Williams. It is directed by Brian Heap and staged by the University Players.
The opening monologue and title piece sets the pace for the production introducing the issues of manhood, sexuality, ethnicity and even the love for sports that go into creating a black Jamaican identity. For the most part the rest of the production comprises segments of this monologue expanded with music, dance, pictures, lighting and dramatisation.
WELL CHOREOGRAPHED
The production is a great third outing for the University Players which has been re-establishing a reputation of difference and a willingness to accept challenging work and bring some variation to the theatre landscape.
The Black That I Am is a visually stimulating, engaging production.
The production is well choreographed with movement orchestrated by Shelley-Ann Maxwell and Neila Ebanks. The direction is insightful and the vocal choreography, as many of the pieces are delivered as variations of choral speaking, is also quite good. The music is lively and always relevant adding to the vibrant nature of the production.
Its strongest element is the performers. Friday night's rendition of the production featured Teisha Duncan, Nadia Khan, Nicosia Shakes, Monique Caesar, Canute Fagan, Jermaine Rowe, Peter Parkinson and Sheldon Shepherd. It was a night that demonstrated immense talent.
Monique Ceasar gave a particularly riveting performance as a woman about to marry a white man. The monologue, one of the pieces which veered from the original poem, demonstrated sensitive treatment of a complex issue. The consistently vibrant Teisha Duncan was magnificent while Nadia Kahn did a wonderful portrayal of a 'brownin' in transit and Nicosia Shakes was delightful as close-minded church woman.
Sheldon Shepherd continued to live up to his potential as an actor. He has a beautifully booming voice but it has not yet made its full escape from his days in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's festival competitions displaying a tendency to over-enunciate, which appears affected.
ORDINARY JAMAICANS
One piece which proved not to be quite in keeping with the thoughtfulness of the rest of the production was 'Ghetto'. In this piece, Shepherd was allowed to slip into a caricature of 'ghetto' denizen which betrayed the honesty of the rest of the piece. Interestingly, 'Ghetto' also featured the best use of audio-visual material and allowed the production to step outside of the writer's imagination. The piece included clips of ordinary Jamaicans trying to define a ghetto and giving their opinions of it.
The pieces were generally engaging though the segment 'Caribbean Delight' did not seem to fit. It was a cute representation of carnival, but it did not seem to have a point. Caribbean Delight was a symptom of the production's weakness. Though they were thematically linked, the movement from one sketch to the next did not highlight how they all related.
The Black That I Am is a very good example of experimental theatre that successfully drew on several creative talents presenting an engaging night of theatre exploring an important issue.
