Clarke
Barbara Ellington, Features Co-ordinator
JAMAICANS have come to expect the Boxing Day opening of the decades-old Little Theatre Movement's (LTM) national pantomime. Once again the script is written by Barbara Gloudon but, for the second time, drama lecturer Robert 'Bobby' Clarke, will direct the production.
Mr. Clarke first directed Janga Rock in 1996-97 and is currently working on Miss Annie, this year's offering.
He told The Sunday Gleaner that Miss Annie revisits the life of the legendary White Witch of Rose Hall, Annie Palmer, whose life was the subject of a previous pantomime. This time, there's a new twist in which Annie Palmer's husband and maid try to outwit her.
Clarke admits that he was nervous the first time he directed the pantomime but is enjoying the challenge of working with the cast of 24.
"I am a spiritual person so I give of my best to my artistry," Mr. Clarke said, when asked about the approach he takes to his work. He enjoys the collaboration with Mrs. Gloudon whom he describes as proactive.
"She has ideas and doesn't hesitate to give them, she tells me how she sees it and I give it action on stage. I work on the content and the bodies on stage and I must interpret her meaning and make it clear for the audience," Mr. Clarke said.
Rehearsals take place four to five nights weekly at the Little-Little Theatre, next door to the Little Theatre where the production will be mounted.
Are there any disadvantages to preparing the cast in a much smaller space? The Sunday Gleaner asked.
"On a small stage you lose what the real motion will be. You are squashed in and sometimes not sure how to clarify for spatial difference, timing, steps etc. On December 16, we will move across to Little Theatre and at that time it will be like moving the pieces of a puzzle and having to re-set them," the director replied.
Rehearsals began at the end of September and the season closes in April 2003.
Mr. Clarke says his biggest challenges in the creative process are the time factor and getting all the elements in place: "I must pay attention to things like set design, the contrasting levels of the action and the movement of bodies."
Anya Gloudon is designing costumes for a production which is set in the 18th century; the action moves from the present day back to that time. Sets will be recognisable but not a carbon copy of the period and music and lyrics add other important elements.
"It is also challenging to get the performers to understand the characterisations and that the strength of the performance and quality will depend on this," Mr. Clarke said.
For the director, the easiest part of the collaborative process is enjoying the songs in the production after they have been learnt.
With the pressures of putting it all together, Mr. Clarke said he gets more nervous when he is performing but as a director, he knows what he has put in.
"I do thorough work and I will fix things based on audience response after the show is up and running. In 1996, it was my first time directing the pantomime, I was aware of the scrutiny and people's expectations; this time I am more aware and have developed more confidence. I do not work in fear but with a knowledge of what needs to be done," he said.
Work on the national pantomime does not end on opening night.
"Once mounted, I have to visit the production frequently, discuss costume changes/repairs. I have to set up rehearsals for switches/alternates (new people), change things that are not working and watch the show to introduce something current. I must attend 50 per cent of the shows weekly," Mr. Clarke told The Sunday Gleaner.
So with such a challenging task, would he do it again? Mr. Clarke admits he's enjoying the process so far and would be guided by a higher power in making such a decision.
A St. Mary man, Mr. Clarke still returns home to the country every weekend. He has one sister and received his education at St. Mary and Calabar high schools, and at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts where he majored in theatre arts and drama education. He has held teaching positions at Stella Maris Preparatory and The Queen's High School as well as worked in the tourism industry as an entertainment co-ordinator/manager with the Sandals Group. He also did stints with the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), as a producer of festival events and as a librarian/presenter/producer at the then Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC).
His theatrical experience covers sound, lighting, stage management and directing. In the future, Mr. Clarke would love to be involved in the media/artistic fields - preferably with autonomy.
"I prefer working with things, not people, I am more comfortable doing things and exploring the world through media."
Mr. Clarke's hobbies are cooking, reading, yoga and reflexology messages that he studied at the Omega Institute in New York.
