Behind the talent show 'seen'

Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

'Run Di Track' is the theatrical X-ray of a televised popular music talent show, cutting through what the audience is allowed to see on the small (or large and flat) screen to show behind the scenes - the foibles of feral contestants, the cut-throat competition, the lives they are required to turn off and switch on the smile when the camera is rolling.

The Independent Actors Movement (IAM) production, which opens on Friday at the Dennis Scott Studio Theatre, Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, could be any televised Jamaican talent show with audience text-in voting. However, assumption of a connection with, by far the most popular one, now in the final stages of its 2010 season, is inevitable.

And certainly not incorrect.

'Behind-the-seen' thoughts

Writer Sabrena McDonald (who also plays 'Kayla' in the duo Track Starz with Shaun Drysdale (Ricardo)) told The Sunday Gleaner that she spent a year conceiving Run Di Track, starting in 2007. "It was two years after Rising Stars became popular," she said. Of course, there were talent shows before, notably the Tastee Talent Contest, but with the televised section of the contest came the 'behind-the-seen' thoughts. How do the contestants deal with the opportunities that come up, but might break up a group? How do they deal with the strain of the rest of their lives?

So in the Run Di Track rehearsal which The Sunday Gleaner sat in on, uptown girl Kayla has a hankering for Track Starz partner Ricardo, even as Melissa (Natasha Griffiths) of arch-rival duo 2 for 1 gives him the eye. Melissa's other 2 for 1 half Turbo (Omall Wright) is not averse to a little microphone cord unplugging sabotage, while Smooth (Damion Radcliffe, who also directs the production) is a solo peacemaker.

'Live' viewers

Putting a smooth tone on it all is host Lisa (Dorraine Reid), while gruff show producer Duffy (Carl Samuels, with Tesfa Edwards as alternate) stomps out to stamp his ownership when the cameras stop rolling. The audience - which doubles as the famed 'live' viewers - is shown a bit of the technical inner workings of the who as well, stage manager Andrew Jones and live technical crew member Stacy Reid coming on stage.

McDonald describes an interactive writing process to get Run Di Track to this final stage. The first draft was done in 2008 and there was feedback from IAM as it was refined - some three or four times. The original quartet that formed IAM (there are now nine members) "wanted to tell Caribbean stories in the 21st century. We wanted to make a contribution to the theatre landscape," McDonald said.

And, writing Run Di Track, she says "I was writing with a young cast that wanted to make a contribution in mind." There was some specific shaping as well, 'Lisa' written for Wright has the experience of competitions, placing third in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Popular Song Contest in 2007 and nabbing second place in the Red Stripe competition. There is a difference between that experience and Run Di Track, as Wright had predominantly positive experiences although "sometimes you see the egos coming out".

Samuels is happy with his 'Buffy' role, which does not give him as much stage time as he may be accustomed to. "I think it is not necessarily the part you have, but how you play the part. If he was given the choice of playing another character Samuels said he would take Ricardo, who is "a bit close to me ... Smooth would require a whole heap of adjustment. On the other hand, Edwards, who has done three productions so far this year, said he asked not to play Ricardo, who is a bit too much like him. "I wanted to play Buffy, who I think is a bad guy. I wanted to do something that is a bit darker," he said.

In the end Ricardo does not choose between Melissa and Kayla and Drysdale laughs as he said if his character had his way he would have taken all the ladies - including host Lisa.

As Lisa, Dorraine Reid was determined not to imitate those on Digicel Rising Stars. So "you go for a little more funk because that funk is what I do not see in some of the hosts out there".

And when the audience comes to the Dennis Scott Studio Theatre for the weekend run, with a benefit performance on Sunday, McDonald intends for them to really get into their 'seen' role. "We hope to get them to feel like the live studio audience," she said.