Garfield 'Movie Star' Reid (foreground) speaks at the The 2007 Actor Boy Awards Presentations and Show, held at the Little Theatre, Tom Redcam Avenue, on Tuesday, March 27. He returned the award for 'Best Roots Play' to co-presenter Michael Holgate at the function. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

Garfield 'Movie Star' Reid showed he was deserving of an Actor Boy Award with his refusal at the awards ceremony last Tuesday.

His production, Bashment Granny, was named Best Roots Play, but he claimed that neither he nor the other nominees in the category were invited to the event. He went on-stage, retrieved his cellular and was apparently having a conversation, then refused to accept the award.

"When I call the lady (Nicole Brown from International Theatre Institute (ITI)) and asked her why she didn't call us, she told me 'oh we have a letter and a ticket here'. My production is a big one and they only have one picture. I went and bought 15 tickets myself and rent a big limousine and turn up," Reid said.

Disrespected

He and his cast and crew felt disrespected because it is felt not enough efforts were made to contact them, nor were accommodations made for them. Also, if the organiser had tried their best, the numbers were listed in newspaper advertisements and television commercials for the play. He said while the other nominees were well known and addressed by their names, the announcer simply asked a representative from Bashment Granny to receive the award.

"It's disrespect. They called me and bring a busload of people to see my play and they saw Crazy Landlord, but nobody went to see Too Hot To Hangle. How can they nominate a play they haven't seen? I am speaking for everybody, because we are close friends," Reid said

Airing frustration

Reid was heard. Right there in front of an audience of his peers and this was his best avenue to share his frustration and also stick it to the judges. And only if the televised version is edited will Jamaicans not behold his spectacle.

"Stop call up show weh nobody nuh know and Jamaicans nuh know. You have show weh a just 30 and 40 people a watch a night and we have thousands," he said. "I told them to give us a section for ourselves and if they can't afford the trophies, we will buy them."

He is not concerned about whether he is invited to the awards show in the future, nor is planning a roots play award on the agenda, but he said he sent his message.

Nicole Brown, chairperson of ITI said her efforts to contact the members of the roots productions were futile.

Reid does not buy that and he is simply requesting that the ITI "show us the respect we deserve or don't put us in there at all".

- A.J.