Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer

Damion Radcliffe of IAM performs 'Anancy Takes a Wife' for which he won Best Storytelling Male at the recent Tallwah Festival, held at the Philip[ Sherlock Centre for the Performing Arts, UWI, Mona. - Nathaniel Stewart/Freelance Photographer

Two small relatively young groups, the Independent Actors Movement (IAM) and Ruff Draft Productions, lived up to the name of the Tallawah dramatic competition when in true 'little but tallawah' fashion they went home with the lion's shares of the awards from this year's festival. Both groups had multiple entries in the competition and earned a total of seven awards each.

Tallawah ended on Sunday after five days of competition at the Phillip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts, University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona. Four of the IAM's awards were received for the production Shades of Moon, including the award for Best Production. The ensemble piece also earned awards for Best Actress, going to Monique Ceasar, Best Lighting and Best Set.

The dynamic dramatic quartet slipped into their coffers the awards for Best Director (for the piece Red Flag) Best Storytelling Male (for Anancy Takes a Wife, performed by Damion Radcliffe), and Best Props (Red Flag).

Ruff Draft earned most of its awards through its piece interrogating class in urban Jamaica, Aliens Among Us. The ensemble piece earned four awards for Best New Play, Best Supporting Actor (Norty Antoine), Best Supporting Actress (Kimberly Whilby) and Best Sound.

Albert Williams' performance of the monologue And a Recipe scored the awards for Best Monologue and Best Actor for the troupe. The group's experimentation in combining digital video and live theatre with the monologue Man of God earned them their final award for Best Use of Media.

Other winners

The other multiple award winners in the competition were the Excelsior Community College (EXED) and Taylor Hall (of the UWI). EXED earned three awards, two of which were for poetry with a group award for Dubble Standard, as well as a solo award for Thealdra Baker's performance. EXED was also awarded for Best Costumes in the piece Live Safe.

Taylor Hall earned two awards. Mark Smith earned the hall of residence the award for Best Poetry (Male) with the piece Mi Hungry, while the eerie visage created in the monologue Confused Soul earned the award for Best Make-Up.