Applause as Roots Play Awards a reality

Led by the main organiser Everton Dawkins, the chorus “We did it!” rang out at the end of the inaugural staging of the Roots Play Awards last Saturday night at the Hibiscus Lodge Hotel in Ocho Rios, as roots theatre practitioners were honoured by their own for decades of service to the industry.

The event was more akin to a huge unscripted comedy fest, with some of Jamaica’s leading comedic actors on show.

Spoken about for years but only now becoming a reality, the event was staged by the Jamaica Roots Play Foundation, in association with Everton Dawkins’ Dynamite Productions and Lacell ‘Mr Handsome’ Parnell’s Lacell Entertainment, and honoured several stalwarts in roots theatre.

Maxwell Grant, at 75 years old, and who for the past 59 years has kept audiences entertained; Garfield ‘Bad Boy Trevor’ Reid, who has been in theatre for 43 years; Andrea ‘Delcita’ Wright, and Juliet ‘Dell’ Shank, who have both gone over 30 years in roots theatre, were among those honoured with lifetime achievement awards.

The enthusiasm of scores of roots theatre practitioners and supporters who turned out made it clear that the Jamaican roots play sector is alive, even after decades of bashing and snobbery by practitioners of the so-called ‘uptown’ theatre, who themselves came in for a mountain of tongue-lashing on the night.

The view from several in attendance was that the awards ceremony has in fact served to embolden roots theatre practitioners to continue giving Jamaica something to laugh about and relieve stress at the same time.

Lacell ‘Mr Handsome’ Parnell, Luke Ellington and Joshua ‘Brother Desmond Tomlin were also honoured. So too were Orville Hall, Irvine Forrest, Bob Clarke, Margaret Wilson, Trudy Campbell, Norris Chambers, Suzette Barrett, Marshall Pottinger, Percival Francis, Daniele Harvey and Bevin Campbell.

There were honorary mentions for several theatre stalwarts who were not in attendance, including Ian Reid, Stede ‘Jookie Jam’ Flash, Balfour Anderson, Michael Denton and Keith Ramsay, among others.

A minute’s silence was observed for several late roots play personnel, including Ralph Holness, Paul O. Beale, Clive ‘Chu Chu’ Warren and Clive Duncan.

Delcita encapsulated the feeling among all those who were being honoured.

“I feel awesome,” Wright told The Gleaner. “It’s not just about me, it’s about all my theatre practitioners who are being honoured, an’ mi just feel so awesome to know that finally we are recognising ourselves.”

She named her most unforgettable plays as Money Worries, Courthouse Drama, The Plumber and The Driver.

“Those four plays, they are epic,” she pointed out. “ Granny Rule, where I play Pumpkin, where persons met me first before they met Delcita, with the country girl with the handicap, I enjoyed that and my fans enjoy it; so it’s my absolute pleasure to be always pleasing my fans.”

Grant, who expressed delight at the occasion, listed his favourite plays.

“ Passa Passa is wha really send me overseas and all that, Maama Man and Bashment Granny.”

Reid paid tribute to Grant, describing him as “the godfather of the theatre”.

Guest speaker Kenny Salmon, in hailing the establishment of an awards event, said the occasion calls for a celebration.

He blasted “uptown theatre” for adopting elements of roots theatre in their productions despite hating roots theatre, reminding the audience that he predicted this would happen in a newspaper article 20 years ago.

“First of all, them capturing some of the youths who would have been great actors in roots play, Courtney Wilson, for example. They capture them, put them in the play, and they’re performing rootsically, but not in roots play. So we have to really, really stand up,” Salmon said, adding that a book is needed that focus on the roots play phenomenon.

Opposition Spokesperson on Culture Denise Daley, who brought greetings, spoke in support of the sector and urged those involved to protect their rights to it.

“I am certain that Jamaicans here and abroad know every one of you in this room more than how they would probably know about persons who are in politics,” she remarked.

“I just want to say to all those who made it possible tonight, try and own it; claim it because there are others who, after this, might want to take it and own it. So I’m begging that you make sure you copyright [your works], so that no one will be able to take it and own it; this is your blood, sweat and tears,” Daley said.