New venue as ‘The Windscream Posse’ returns
Published:Friday | July 24, 2020 | 12:00 AMYasmine Peru/Senior Gleaner Writer
To say that thespians are delighted that the Government has given the green light for theatre to flick on their bright lights after a COVID-19 lockdown of four months, is a gross understatement. Eager to get back to their job of entertaining audiences, the Centrestage and Jambiz teams are ready to test the water and are promoting their special ‘Emancipendence’ performances of Patrick Brown’s rib-tickling comedy, The Windscream Posse. However, to ensure that all health protocols are observed, the production has moved to a new venue, the Little Theatre on Tom Redcam Avenue in Kingston.
“At Centrestage we wouldn’t have been able to break even, given the new guidelines,” award-winning actor and businessman Glen Campbell told The Gleaner. Under the protocols for the reopening of theatres, no more than 60 per cent of seating capacity must be used at least two rows must be left empty to facilitate the movement of persons across the width of the venue.” He continued, “So we reached out to friends and we have been accommodated at the Little Theatre.”
Campbell explained that given the size of the Little Theatre, at 50 or 60 per cent full, it is equivalent to a full house at Centrestage, where the play is normally staged in Kingston.
AUDIENCE READY
He said that the feedback from surveys carried out on social media and one-on-one interviews is that the audience is ready to come out, as long as all the necessary safeguards are in place. He assured that they are, and emphasised that there will be social distancing, and that the wearing of a mask is mandatory for all attendees. The theatre had closed its doors in March, with a message informing its “faithful and dedicated patrons” that there would be no performances of its current production, The Windscream Posse, and noted that “all tickets for shows previously scheduled for the dates in question (March 12-29) will be honoured after this storm has passed”.
The phased reopening of the entertainment sector has Campbell and his team now raring to go. “From March 12 we in lockdown! Can you imagine how that has been for us? At Centrestage and Jambiz, we have about 20 persons who are full-time staff members, and their livelihoods depend on us being up and running,” he pointed out.
The lead actor in The Windscream Posse added, “I am used to being on stage six nights per week for 10 months of the year. To the way how I feel now, fish out of wata is not even a description. Ah feel like fish pon dry land,” he laughed. Campbell, however, confessed that he has one concern.
“The thing though is, if we memba di lines,” he said, trying, but failing miserably, to sound serious. “But we are going to have a few rehearsals before the shows. This is the first time we are leaving out of Centrestage for this year, and also the first time we are playing at the Little Theatre, so we are very, very excited,” he enthused.
Campbell also had some words for his patrons. “A big thank you to our audience. We look forward to them coming and supporting us again. In this business, we depend on audience support for our business. I have been in this for 39 years and I don’t ever take them for granted,” he stated.
The first shows will be held on the Emancipation weekend, August 1 and 2, and then on Independence Day, August 6. It is also advertised for the weekend of August 7-9. The Windscream Posse, which copped the gong for Best Comedy at the 2020 Actor Boy Awards, is described as “a thought-provoking exposé on the plight of children who call the streets of Kingston home”.