- FILE
'I'M HUMAN RIGHT?" The theme of this 'Black Power', one of the satirical looks at life by Theatre 77 in their revue now playing at the Barn Theatre, Oxford Road. Seen here, from left, are Trevor Rhone, Cheryl Raymond Hill. Melba Bennett also appears in the this item. The show is on at the Barn Theatre tonight and next week except Sunday. (1968)Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
THE METAPHORICAL curtains, because that symbolic element of theatre is actually in absentia from the building, has come down on The Barn Theatre on Oxford Road, New Kingston. The Barn was created out of the garage of the home which was once on the premises, at a time when Kingston and theatre were quite different from what they are today.
The closure of The Barn ought to be seen as a wake-up call to local theatre. At last year's Actor Boy Awards, Buddy Pouyatt pointed to the need for development of Kingston's theatrical spaces. Interestingly, as Kingston prepares to pretty herself up for the cricket lovers who will descend on her with all its passion next year, none of these venues have received attention. This neglect flies in the face of assertions that Kingston is intended to be a cultural hub.
Founded by Yvonne Brewster (whose home it was a garage for) and Trevor Rhone, The Barn housed the dreams and aspirations of a group who called themselves Theatre 77. They came together in 1965 with the dream that in 12 years, by 1977, there would be professional theatre in Jamaica.
At the time Brewster, Rhone and Munair Zacca, who was also in the group, had been trained in the theatrical arts in England, and were raring to put their goals of a burgeoning theatrical landscape that would reflect the lives of ordinary Jamaicans. Interesting versions of the creation of The Barn can be found in Brewster's entertaining biography The Undertaker's Daughter and Rhone's autobiographical play, Bella's Gate Boy.
The space was created not in defiance of the bard's reflection that the "all the world's a stage", but more in the extension of, as encouraged by George Bernard Shaw, the maxim that we all need our own piece of the boards to play on, to reflect our own experiences as we see it, as opposed to the refractions that may occur through other eyes and pens.
The Barn was intended to be an experimental space in an attempt to encourage creativity and nurture Jamaican expression. Though Jamaica had long had a theatrical tradition Jamaican theatre, as in theatre which reflects the mass of the Jamaican people, came to ascension about the middle of the last century. A move toward a deliberately Jamaican form arose through the Pantomime, which may have been born out of an English tradition but was ingested and made to walk to a new beat and become a distinctly Jamaican thing.
PROFESSIONAL ASPECT
But it was through moves like Theatre 77 that there was a deliberate thrust toward making theatre a professional aspect of Jamaican life, that is, an area from which its practitioners can make a living. The extent to which that drive has been successful varies, as many practitioners lament that one cannot live by theatre alone.
In an e-mail interview with Brewster, the dynamic theatre practitioner explained that in its heyday The Barn lived up to its goal of being an experimental space. Brewster is in too many ways one of our better kept secrets with the bulk of her work having taken place in England, in large part through another theatrical company she founded, Talawa.
"For a time it certainly lived up to its purpose as the freedom to experiment allowed a number of playwrights, directors, designers and even one or two poets and academics to imagine freely and act upon it," Brewster said. "Most, if not all, of Trevor Rhone's plays cut their teeth there. Carmen Tipling, Stafford Harrison, Sistren, Dennis Scott, John Hearne, Cheryl Ryman, Basil Dawkins, Basil MacFarlane, Meryvn Morris, Lennie Littlewhite, George Carter. The list is endless ..."
It seems that list ended years before The Barn itself was sold. Brewster explained, however, as the space was no longer being used for experimental work it had outlived its purpose and it was not feasible to subsidise works that were clearly created with commercial intent. "I no longer felt persuaded to continue subsidising work which was so blatantly commercial," Brewster explained.
The Barn, with all its space limitations, was clearly quite suited toward a minimalist and experimental approach to theatre. However, in its latter years that was hardly the case, as several productions went for the realistic portrayals which highlighted the limitations of the space.
Brewster notes that the theatre had also begun to fight a losing battle with the sound to exhilarated partygoers from the nearby Mas Camp venue. Ironically, the Mas Camp is also slated for closure as an entertainment venue at the end of this carnival season. She also noted that the theatre was in dire need of refurbishment, which could not be covered by the rental.
She noted, however, that there is a great need for experimental theatre in any society if true growth is desired. Of course, theatre has grown increasingly expensive and at present the Government has failed to take up its commitment to the development of the island's culture in that capacity by creating funding that can foster such growth.
SUPPORT AND SUBSIDY
"Discussion of the important role of public (read governmental) support and subsidy of the non-commercial arts becomes even more essential if contemporary Jamaican theatre is to rise above the obvious and leave a proud legacy," said Brewster, "Private citizens may no longer wish to subsidise this cultural responsi-bility alone."
Even with the departure of The Barn, Kingston is not quite devoid of theatrical spaces, though it is limited. There remain the twin venues of the Louise Bennett Garden Theatre and the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre on Hope Road and the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts at the University of the West Indies (which has the theatre and the round).
In New Kingston there are The Pantry and Centrestage theatres, while the Little Theatre and the Little Little Theatre are on Tom Redcam Avenue and the School of Drama at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts has the Dennis Scott Studio Theatre. Additionally, the former Island Cinema was recently used for the staging of Ashe's Curfew.
Hopefully, The Ward will remain added to that list.
Interestingly, though many would argue that the spaces available quite limit theatrical possibilities, it is a scenario that cuts both ways. Most of the theatres mentioned are quite small, have very limited lighting and other technical equipment and as such limit the earning potential from commercial outings, as well as the technical possibilities. However, at the same time, the spaces such as the Louise Bennett Garden Theatre are quite underused.
"It's the duty of those who earn their living from theatre to lobby, to invest, to pay their bills on time, to even provide the safe venues for their work," says Brewster. "They must make sure that public funds are available to subsidise their art and their creative endeavours. The paying public will always support them if they get it right"
The closure of The Barn can be read as the close of an era, it is left to theatre practitioners to ensure that a new era begins, one when theatre becomes more commercially viable, but more importantly, an era where experimentation and growth of new directors, writers and actors are fostered in a womb of creativity.
