Michael Holgate on one of his frequent trips to the podium at the 2007 Actor Boy Awards, held at the Little Theatre, Tom Redcam Avenue, St. Andrew, in March. He won 'Best Actor in a Lead Role', 'Best Original Song', and 'Best Original Score'. -Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

André Jebbinson, Staff Reporter

WHEN YOU hear the name Michael Holgate, you hear the name of a spiritual, emotional and cultural junkie. He is also artistic director of the Ashe Performing Arts Ensemble and Academy.

He claims he runs away from academia, but has the wit of a college professor. He is also an introvert, yet has the power to educate and entertain masses. Profound in such a way that his love for the performing arts has him at a level he calls the "tipping point".

It all started with his first typewriter, guitar and piano keyboard, given to him by his father.

"This is a point where I have to put in less effort. You've done a lot of the developmental work. It's now like a boulder that gathers momentum as it goes down the hill," Holgate described his approach to theatre now. It might have taken the singer, writer, dancer, actor and choreographer 15 years to get to this point, but now that he is finally here he is soaking in as much as he can get.

The journey began while he was apart of the Wolmer's dramatic programme and caught the eyes of then Little People director, Cathy Levy. Holgate and a few others were invited by Levy to join her organisation. Of course, Holgate stood out.

It was, however, his Ashe membership that began to shine the bigger light on the upcoming theatre personality. He joined the group at its inception in 1992 and has been with it since. He quickly went up the ranks all the way to artistic director. Before he was elevated to his current position in the world-renowned cultural group, he was a member of the creative team and 'edutainment' director.

His destiny

The path to his success may have been unpredictable, but he knew he was destined to make it this far.

"It tek a long time, but I am glad to be here. Whenever I go into anything, I go with the intention of reaching the top. There is no limit to what I can do. Whicheve you reach, it is your consciousness that has taken you there," he said.

With his attitude towards his work, there is not anything that will prevent him from rebounding. This is something he proved this year. Despite picking up five Actor Boy awards in March for the play he wrote, Curfew, the critiques were not as kind. Instead, they lashed out at what Holgate described as the least important components.

The production was taken to England where it got good reviews. However, he has not completely disregarded what the critics have said. With a few tweaks here and there, the production opened its encore presentation on Wednesday evening.

Referring to his position as artistic director, Holgate said "It is good at time and then another time I am afraid. You know you have something you want to express, but you don't know how the world will take it. But if you want to succeed at what you want, you will have to take some of the criticisms."

Professionalism in theatre

He said he only wishes theatre critics were better trained to do the job. Still, he believes theatre has come a long way, to where it can be considered a profession for some.

It probably sounds weird, but his two mentors' approach to theatre collide. Professor Rex Nettleford believes in voluntarism, while his former artistic director, the late Joseph Robinson, believed in professionalism in theatre. How does he combine the two? Holgate said in their early work some of the pioneers in the field volunteered their time to build an industry in which he has the option to work full-time or part-time. For Holgate, though, he only had one real option. He might have considered law or photography, but there was no denying his real passion.

"I cannot imagine what my life would be like if I wasn't doing theatre full-time. Other people start at 7:00 p.m. after they leave work, but I am happy I am making a career out of it," Holgate said.

The salary, he said, is questionable at times, and theatre is under-funded, but he is in it for the long haul. Holgate studied literature at the University of the West Indies, and is now working on his thesis for his Masters of Philosophy in Cultural Studies.