Theatre Company expanding to Cayman Brac

Quincy Brown is one of the founding members of the
Caboose Theatre Company and is looking for actors,
stage managers, sound and light technicians, and
costume managers

Quincy Brown outside the Brac’s open air theatre

Friday,  January 13, 2006

The Cayman dramatic society, the Backyard Caboose Theatre Company, is preparing to launch on Cayman Brac and is looking for volunteers to help.

Quincy Brown, the founder of the BCTC told Cayman Net News that this company is all about Cayman.

This does not mean you have to be Caymanian to be a part of this, but we want to keep a Caymanian flavour – the traditions, the Cayman lingo, the old time stories,” he explained.

He said the members of the BCTC want to celebrate local culture, like coming home after picking whelks, hanging fish on a line to dry, and scrubbing floors with coconut husks.

This is a Caymanian group and I want to get it going here. Cayman Brackers must be included. 

The core members of the company are Brackers, so it’s only fair,” he said.

The grand launch on Cayman Brac will take place next Saturday 14 January at 5:30 pm at the open air theatre at the West End Community Park. Mr Brown is going to put a show together of talented local storytellers and poets, and encourages everyone to come out and be a part of the storytelling family evening.

The idea is to get Brackers to be the main part of the programme, reading their poetry, sharing stories of olden times, and he also encourages young people to share what’s going on in their minds today, as well.

It will be a show “for the people, by the people”, said Mr Brown. After the programme, there will be an open mike session so that members of the audience can have a go, which is sometimes the best part of an event, he added.

He said it would be rather like Gimistory, which is sponsored by the Cayman National Cultural Foundation (CNCF), but localized. 

He said his company is not in competition with CNCF and, in fact, they have actively supported the fledgling dramatic society in the past.

However, unlike CNCF, BCTC does not have a grant from the Government as yet. Admission for the show will be free, but the audience is invited to donate whatever they feel appropriate - $1, $2, or $10 – to go towards future BCTC events, and refreshments will be on sale.

For the future of BCTC on the Brac, Mr Brown said he has many plays in mind that he would like to see produced here, including two plays by Frank McField – “Time Longer Dan Rope” and “Down Side Up”, and also some of his own plays.

In particular he has written two, entitled “Town Scandal” and “Conch Na Gaw no Bone”, which he describes as “very funny plays”.

The production of these plays would depend on whether the interest is here on Cayman Brac, and he encourages anyone who loves theatre and the performing arts and is committed to come to rehearsals to join BCTC.

Also on the Board of Directors of the company are Marva Reid and Burmon Scott. The Treasurer is Marla Mattocks, and Secretary is Tara Abdul-Jabbar. Paula Scott Thyme is a BCTC representative.

Their mission statement is: “This theatre company, a group of Caymanian dramatists, has come together at the right time for the right purposes. Formed by the natives: turtles, iguanas and indigenous people…we the Caymanians!

“Guided by the higher power, fuelled by the growing social issues in our society, inspired by the many small blessings…Cayman is our stage.

“Our aim is to amuse, entertain and educate using theatre in education and education in theatre as we tackle serious social issues that do exist in Caymanian society. We will cry, but not alone. We will shed the tears together, then together we will laugh at ourselves!

“Backyard Caboose Theater Company – Caymanian at heart, Caymanian all the way.”

The BCTC is looking for actors, stage hands, lighting and sound technicians, costume makers, and anyone else who can make a contribution to the company.

nicky@caymannetnews.com

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