LTM restages 'Letters for Emancipendence'

Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

This year's Emancipendence, that early August extended period of celebration and reflection brought about 13 years ago when Emancipation Day was re-established on the national calendar to precede Independence Day, has gone, but the Little Theatre Movement (LTM) is keeping to the letter of the moment.

Literally.

The company will restage Letters for Emancipendence at the Little Little Theatre, Tom Redcam Drive, St Andrew, on October 16 and 17. It does not hurt that the production, which engages the national heroes, is as suited to National Heroes' Day as Emancipation Day and Independence Day.

Barbara Gloudon, who heads the LTM, says "without any fanfare, you can teach people. But you have to respect the technical form". So, in Letters for Emancipendence, Gloudon says, "for the first time you see the seven heroes' stories told like a TV story, running back to back."

First up

Nanny is first up, dismissing the notion that she caught bullets with her backside - all she did was show her disdain for the Redcoats (who were stupid enough to wear their scarlet gear into green bush) by showing them her drawers. Sam Sharpe preaches at a revival meeting, while George William Gordon writes a letter to his wife on the day judgement is passed on him; she reads it and breaks down. Paul Bogle gets treatment in the near present, with an actor standing stock still to represent the controversial replacement statue in Morant Bay, St Thomas. A madman named Poetry is at the base of the 'statue' and is teased by two women who ask why he does not write a poem about Bogle - which he does.

Marcus Garvey's words from The Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey calm a set of unruly schoolchildren, Alexander Bustamante writes about the events of 1938 and Raymond Pryce delivers one of Norman Manley's final post-Independence speeches, before a finale that includes silk flags and portraits of the seven heroes.

Gloudon says the Little Little Theatre is being used as "it has an intimacy to it".

Letters for Emancipendence is a development on a Heritage Series concept by the LTM, which started with Augus Mawnin. "My colleague Brian Heap thought of the enormous riches that we have to make theatre." First staged in 1997, Gloudon says it will soon be published by the St Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies. That production ran for a decade and was performed in Trinidad and Barbados.

"After 10 years, we decided to put down Augus Mawnin," Gloudon said. In 2008, Emancipation Grounding was held, where "we would get people to come into the theatre and discuss what this thing is about". Professors Rex Nettleford and Barry Chevannes were involved. There were also the initial stages of Freedom for Who? that year, the full production staged in 2009. Douglas Orane was involved, with the drumming of Philip Supersad and Calvin Mitchell a highlight. "A lot of young people came," Gloudon said.

Which is important, as Gloudon emphasises "you can do good theatre without slackness and bad word".