With Night One whetting patrons’ appetites, Night Two of the National Theatre Festival did not disappoint. Combining several elements of performance into their presentations, the Princess Margaret and Ottos Comprehensive Schools captured and held their audience from the opening line to final blackout. 

The night’s opener was When Thunder Rolls by the Ottos Comprehensive School. Borrowing a favourite technique of the Greeks and Shakespeare, writer and director Marvelene McLean introduced the main character, Mother Celestial, building the anticipation until we finally meet her. Donned in ceremonial white and announcing the greatness of the healing power of Mother Celestial, the audience’s attention immediately turned to the entrance of the auditorium as one of her assistants rings his bell through the audience unto the stage. This grand introduction is filled with a clever call and response that soon had the audience participating in the choral work of the play: the more you pay ah de more you get! Ultimately, it’s revealed that Mother Celestial is a fraud, but her assistants, though tired of deceiving people, are too afraid to sabotage her business or leave. What ensues is a host of clients seeking remedies for their social, physical and financial ailments. But between each miracle and remedy is the challenge of another religion – Christianity and then Rasta –  to oppose the healing powers of Obeah.

With live drums and movements of Kumina choreographed into the action of the play, the audience continued to chime in with “the more you pay ah de more you get.” The lighting and sound cues flowed effortlessly, amplifying the strong characterization of the cast, giving the audience an unforgettable theatrical performance. 

In Pandemic of Mischief, written and directed by Onique Bramwell, the PMS production introduced characters and elements of theatre that may not usually grace the local stage. A welcomed and delightful element was the use of puppets – Tanania, Ooshbuck, and Shumpata – as the Storyteller’s grandchildren. Versed in puppetry, Bramwell’s inclusion of this art demonstrated the successful training of her students, who captivated the audience with the skilful performance of these stuffed characters.  

Taking an interesting perspective to the experience of the pandemic, the Storyteller shared a tale of wounded characters – the Clown and the Mime – who were bullied as children and sought revenge against all children. Seeking the assistance of the Witch, the audience is told that the trio experimented on bats trying to create a virus called chikungunya; but what they created was an accidental monster far worse – Corona. Although we never hear of these enchanting characters again, what follows in the story is how this monster virus affected the entire world, especially children and their education. 

In a beautiful scene of humour, frustration, and eventual sadness, the cast changed the set to make-shift virtual classroom. The teacher was poised at her desk with her laptop ready to teach, while three other students embodied varied students at home – the “not-fully-dressed-times-up” student; the “bonnet-wearing-but-fully-engaged” student; the “lying-on-my-bed-miss-you-ah-freeze-me-cyarn-hear-you” student; and finally, the rumour-filled student. This final student does not appear on stage until the comical antics of the others have concluded, but not before gossiping on why this student has not attended any online classes. Entering a tableau and changing the lights to an eerie blue, Eileen enters the stage, ragged and in tears sharing her frustration. Her parents cannot afford internet access, and no one has reached out to her to see what has happened or offer assistance. In a mournful refrain “Eileen … this is Eileen” this actress delivered a tear-jerking dub-poem reflecting the disenfranchised students left behind in the silver lining of online learning from the pandemic. Between puppetry and lines in verse, with strong choral speaking elements, Pandemic of Mischief, while entertaining, invited the audience to revisit an unspoken debris of the pandemic. 

Tonight, Irene B Williams wraps up the drama productions and the Dance categories begin with solos and duets. Don’t miss what promises to be another night of excitement on stage, and more importantly, our young people performing.