Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

Rosie Murray (left) and Winston 'Bello' Bell in 'One Night Of Sunshine' at the Little Thetre, Tom Redcam Avenue, in June. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

After the lustre of a play's run in Kingston fades it is time for the road. However, lack of theatres, high cost, and practically non-existent funds for marketing make the rustic country setting a somewhat difficult arena.

The 31-year-old Fairfield Theatre in Montego Bay is the only fully-equipped facility outside of Kingston. In places such as Savanna-la-Mar, Negril, Ocho Rios, May Pen, Mandeville and Morant Bay, all popular stops on rural runs, only auditoriums or makeshift venues are available. In other areas the lack of an actual stage inhibits the staging of plays.

Without standard theatre equipment to work with, oftentimes the quality of the performance may not what it should be.

Lenford Salmon, administrative director of Jambiz, says that the quality of a play staged outside of Kingston depends on how you decide to stage the production. "What we try to do is approximate it as close to the Centerstage Theatre. We try to get as close to our stage, so we recreate the stage, not only the set, but the lighting and sound. It is very costly to transport all of that," he said.

Lower Production Costs

Roots plays tend to travel around the country, the lower production costs making the journeys more cost-effective. Playwright Kenny Salmon says this has made roots plays more accessible to the public.

"There's a very good play, One Night of Sunshine, at the Little Theatre, that won't run in rural places. However, a play like Heart Attack by Ralph Holness will go to every crevice in Jamaica. The play at Little Theatre wants an ideal location where they can transfer the set, but that would cost. Roots plays are more adaptable and flexible; they don't use established actors, so that cuts the cost of paying the actors," Salmon said.

Costs are a concern when travelling with a production, but getting a packed arena is also a factor. According to Salmon, Kingston has the population necessary to support theatre, with a centuries-old theatre-going tradition. While crowd support may sometimes be fair in the rural area, the cost to move the production may cancel out those returns.

Still Growing

Douglas Prout, chairman and artistic director of Fairfield Theatre, which recently staged the highly successful A Gift for Mom, says "The demographic is an issue, but the culture is different in that there is less appreciation and awareness of arts in MoBay. Kingston has been sensitised for a long time. Theatre in MoBay is still growing. Fairfield hasn't mastered marketing; we can't afford the television ads," he said.

While Fairfield is adequate for some plays, for plays produced by Jambiz a larger crowd capacity is needed. Space also affects how a play feels when moved from venue to venue. Salmon says of some productions that "The play style is designed to fit Centerstage's 200 seating. When you go to Montego Bay Community College, which holds 2000 people, the space is different and the play becomes different."

Yet, despite the problems associated with staging plays outside of the metropolitan area, Prout and Salmon are optimistic that a strong rural theatrical base can be built. Prout also said that trying to tap into the tourist market for theatre is another option.

"We have a commitment.

We don't believe Jamaica is Kingston. We hope a better day will come when people will recognise theatre and pay a reasonable fee," Salmon said.

'Costs are a concern when travelling with a production, but getting a packed arena is also a factor.'