Small captures Best Actor, Dramatist awards

Rodney Small of the Bishop’s College Kingstown is a well known pannist but recently at the closing of the 2006 Cable & Wireless Schools Drama Festival, the fifth form student copped the tittles of Best Actor, Dramatist of the Festival and Best Monologue in the Speech segment.

In the play entitled “Choices” the 17-year old depicted the struggles of “Dino” who lived a life of physical, emotional and verbal abuse by his parents.{{more}}

Dino would receive “blows” with a cutlass from his mother for not doing his work and often went to school without breakfast while his family sat down to a hearty meal.

The outpouring of empathy went out for Dino whose social life was no better as he was constantly pressured by the boys on the block to smoke and was teased by classmates because of his poor personal hygiene.

Although there were comical moments in the play because of the way Dino spoke, his cries of hurt were always touching as evident in one scene where he tried to speak with his teacher about his woes but was instead turned away.

It became a spiritual struggle for Dino as the Devil played by Thamika Gordon tempted him into killing himself, but an Angel played by Stacy Ballantyne comforted Dino through his distress and encouraged him to read his Bible.

The breaking point however came for the teenager who caught his girlfriend cheating with one of his classmates and the pressures of life weighed too heavy.

Resorting to a gun that he was holding for his friends on the block, Dino struggled with thoughts of suicide from the Devil and at that very moment Dino’s mother walked in on the disoriented youngster.

Dino then turned the gun on his mother and then threatened to kill her but just as the outcome of his decision was to be known, the performers froze and the curtains closed leaving the audience in nail biting suspense to wonder, what did Dino choose, life or death?

The Bishop’s College Kingstown also captured the Best Production and Best Director titles with their play. Best Original Play and Best Director in the Teacher’s Skit went to the St Martin’s Secondary.

Best Costumes went to the Thomas Saunders Secondary School, the Girls’ High School took Best Make Up and Ronica Hackshaw took the Best Actress award. Best Supporting Actress went to Mellissa Adams of the St Joseph’s Convent Kingstown, while the Best Actor title in the Teacher’s Script went to O’Neal Gould of the Intermediate High School.

In the Monologue segment Bishop’s College also picked up one gold, two silvers and a bronze, while the St Joseph’s Convent Kingstown walked away with three bronze. The Adelphi Secondary School took two golds and one bronze but it was the West St George Secondary that showed off their oratory skills in the speech day segment when they siezed two golds and one bronze.

At the grand finale of the 2006 Cable & Wireless Schools Drama Fest, Cultural icon David “Darkie” Williams was honored. Last year’s honoree was Bobby Fraser.