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Promoted as a celebration of creativity, power and stories of Jamaican Women, the Jamaica Women in Theatre Festival (JWTF) hosted a number of activities from March 24-27 at the Little Theatre in St Andrew.
Convened by theatre doyenne, Dahlia Harris, this is the third instalment of the JWTF. It opened with a mix and mingle hosted by Kendel Foods followed by a panel discussion focused on unlocking capital for creative entrepreneurs moderated by Fae Ellington.
Led by the Development Bank of Jamaica, panellists included Sharon Smith, head of business banking at Jamaica National; Sagicor SME Business Banker, Nicola Speid; and DBJ’s relationship executive, Nickesha Barrett. Participants were brought up to speed on the avenues available for funding and gained insight on critical requirements for eligibility.
A keynote address by principal of the Edna Manley College, Dorrett Campbell, on the importance of arts education to the success of Jamaica’s theatre industry wrapped up the evening’s activities. Mekayla Brown, a student at the college delighted audiences with a excerpt from For Coloured Girls.
Day two of the festival saw Ellington moderating a panel of creative vision achievers who shared the benefits of training to the financial and operational success of their business. Randy McLaren, CEO, Bresheh; Carisse Wright-Smith, founder and director EFFIT; and Shanique Ellington, CEO Le Champ Cosmetics, mapped their evolution from having a vision for their business to establishing and growing their respective organisations.
Kaysia Johnson-Vaughan, Scotiabank’s director, small business customer experience, Caribbean and Central America, emphasised the importance of structuring a business and to also seek advice or find a mentorship programme.
The second panel discussion included some of the most successful women in contemporary theatre sharing stories about how they continue to navigate the performing space. The panel included award-winning actress and choreographer, Sharee McDonald Russell; director, Toni-Kay Dawkins; Danielle Stiebel-Johnson, chairperson JMTC; Dorraine Reid, award-winning director and head of the School of Continuing Education and Allied Programmes at Edna Manley; and Camille Quamina, researcher, advocate and senior lecturer at Edna Manley College.
They highlighted the challenges they face as women in the industry and emphasised the need for more collaboration among their peers. Zamoya Danville performing a beautiful solo from the Junior Theatre’s, Alice, and comedienne extraordinary Kathy Grant provided lively entertainment.
Diverse stories and styles were the focus of day three with performances from this year’s pantomime, Channel 876, Kuyah Productions’ The Predicament, Caliban Productions’ Whiplash, among others. The excerpts were selected based on stories that were women-centred, directed by women or written by women.
A new addition to the Festival’s schedule was development workshops for more than 100 high-school girls who are pursuing theatre arts.
Sponsors for the four-day festival included the CHASE Fund, the Ministry of Culture, Entertainment, Gender and Sport, and the Development Bank of Jamaica.
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