Leighton Williams, Staff ReporterWhoever coined the phrase 'it's a man's world' must have seen the funny side of Jamaican theatre, where female comedians are few and far between.
Players in the industry such as Oliver Samuels, Claudette Pious and Owen 'Blacka' Ellis acknowledge that there are few female comedians in local theatre and the industry is therefore male-dominated.
"There are a few female comedians around. They might not be active now, but we have comedians who are female. You have Claudette Pious and Louise Bennett, who are comedians. In Trinidad, female comedians are commonplace, but here it's different. It's not just comedy, it's representative of the arts," Mr. Ellis explained.
Oliver Samuels, Jamaica's best-known male comedian, points out that there is a need for more females in comedy. He explains that while Jamaica is not known for producing stand-up comedians, there was definitely a scope for more female thespians.
"There's the School of Drama, which produces actors and actresses. It's just what they do with the talent; most prefer teaching to performing," he said.
As to the reason for the low numbers of females in the business, both male actors proffered several reasons.
"A woman isn't prepared to do what a man does. She doesn't have the time to wait around and hope to get discovered. They are going to take care of their families," pointed out Mr. Ellis.
For Oliver, another possibility is that the women lose interest upon leaving the Jamaica School of Drama. Mr. Samuels said that the circle should definitely include more women.
"We'd like to see more women in theatre overall, as I believe the circle can be expanded to include more persons. Not just men, but women as well," he said.
However, while the men have offered various reasons for the small number of women who are comediennes, actress and comedienne Claudette Pious disagrees with them both. She points out that the lack of females may be due largely to a lack of confidence.
"They're probably not as brave as the men and, in some cases, they're not sure if they want to go in that area, so that's probably part of the reason," she explained.
As to other factors, such as family life, Ms. Pious does not think that women are affected. She points out that she is a mother and had never had a problem balancing theatre with her family duties. She argues that she knows there are a lot of mothers and wives actively involved in theatre. Hence, such an argument does not hold water.
