ONCE UPON A TIME IN BIM: A THEATRE RESUSCITATION IN THE TIME OF COVID-19
ONCE UPON A TIME IN BIM: ATHEATRE RESUSCITATION IN THE TIME OF COVID-19I
Denise Phillips.The Nation, Barbados
Independence in Barbados is not without its many activities in celebration. We are accustomed to the National Independence Festival of Creative Arts [NIFCA] with its plethora of artistic works in dance, music, visual art, drama, literary arts, film, photography, craft and cuisine held in the days leading up to the National Day November 30th. But with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting us here in Barbados and all theatres shuttered since early March 2020, our theatre community, impatient for stimulating work, was at last treated to Caribbean theatre’s roots of storytelling to revive our enthusiasm and provide that welcome release from the restrictions the pandemic has imposed.
So for two nights- November 29-30, 2020, Variations Theatre Company owned by Varia Williams, and its able producer Afi Farrell, embarked on an open-air affair, minimal lighting effects, and the backdrop of the Old St. Matthew’s Rectory to introduce and sustain our interest in tales of the past-ghost stories, obiyah, revenge, murder and mayhem-tales that might have been heard on door steps, under streetlights and under the watchful eyes of grandparents, the griots of the village. …