There once was the popular thought that Barbadian men were in crisis, but the number of male performers who stood on the NIFCA stage on Friday night proved different. The LIME NIFCA Performing Arts Final drama night gave the audience a lot to think about.
The evening started with a performance from the HMP Drama Group. The actors in the group presented ‘Keep It Real’. The dramatic presentation was all about the way people respond to HIV and AIDS. In it, w adult men were talking honestly about the virus. The actors told the story of the misconceptions that people harbour about the illness. The piece, written by Oneata and Peter Forde, infused comedy with the strong message that it is important to be correctly informed about HIV and not to discriminate.
Spoken word was one of the major components of the evening’s performances. Well known names on the art scene hit the stage, in addition to some who were not so well known.
Adrian Green was present both as a performer and as a writer. Robert Gibson captivated the audience’s attention as he described an encounter he had with a curvaceous creature. Another piece that was written by Green, was ‘Tingling Feeling’. This was performed by Oswald Joe.
The piece spoke to rushing into sexual intercourse and the adverse effects that this can bring. Green was his hard hitting self as he called on the adult population to take a look at itself and how they depict and treat the youth. He brought to bear the impact of slavery on the way that we discipline our children. Another matter that he touched on was that of crime and its source.
The other half of the Iron Sharpen Iron pair, DJ Simmons was also on stage at the NIFCA finals. He would surely have caught some attention with the piece entitled, ‘Dirty’. Listening to his performance, the audience heard about issues on public transportation, crime in the country and even some political happenings. It is a piece that brings to light a wide range of matters that require deeper thought.
Fresh to the NIFCA stage, Mark Grandison’s ‘Nothing’ required careful thought as he presented a logical, yet at times confusing piece. ‘Nothing’ surely left many thinking about how they see life and its many nuances.
School groups were also a major part of the performances. The children of the St. Elizabeth Primary School, presented an interesting piece called, ‘From My Point of View – The African Snail’. It was one that presented the case of the snails. As farmers and householders lamented the damage being done by the snails, the snails pleaded their case. The children dressed as snails told of the value they offer and declared that they were not leaving.
The night of drama included performances that were comedic and some that brought strong messages. One of the latter was that from the Bajan Outkast. The group of young men told the story of youth who found themselves going down the wrong path as they listened to bad advice. The message here was a good one, “be willing to say no’’.
It is clear that the NIFCA stage continues to be a place for local talent to be showcased.
(Source http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/newsitem.asp?more=local&NewsID=20769)
