Timothy Callendar Photo

“It So Happens…” observing & respecting the passage of Barbadian Author Timothy Callender at Frank Collymore Hall from month-end

“It So Happens…” observing & respecting the passage of Barbadian Author Timothy Callender at Frank Collymore Hall from month-end

Timothy Callendar Photo
Here is the late, great Timothy Callender - my favorite story from him was "The Honest Thief" about a fight over a Banana tree
Here is the late, great Timothy Callender – my favorite story from him was "The Honest Thief" about a fight over a Banana tree

I had no idea it’s 21 years since Timothy Callender was no longer with Barbados sharing his creativity; this number is a milestone among most folk across the planet as a means of maturity, many great folk in history hit their stride in their 20’s – William Pitt the Younger became Prime Minister of Great Britain at the age of 25, Alexander the Great was 25 when Europe was under his rule and at the age of 29 Ayesha Gibson-Gill is directing a quadrilogy of Timothy’s works in respect for what Timothy did for Bajan culture.

I remember Barbados’ first photo comic was The Watchman with singing sensations the Draytons’ Two as both hero and villain in the graphic novel which was a hit in the mid-80’s. When I used to be at Rediffusion, now Starcom, and General Manager Gary Duesbury died, they were giving away his books and among them I found an autographed copy of Timothy Callender’s “How Music Came to The Ainchan People” and they were ready to pelt this in the rubbish bin!

Flash forward to present-day… When I arrived at the Manager’s Office at Frank Collymore Hall to interview both Ayesha and Alison Sealy-Smith on the four act tribute, it suddenly occurred to me as I was about to record the audio – here’s a bit of Starcom history… I was one of the first voices for Yess Ten-Four (now Love FM) 104.1 FM, Alison was one of the first voices for VOB 790 when the radio station used AM and here’s Ayesha now one of the younger Morning Drive Time folk of Starcom – all of us radio leaders at one point or another.

At left is Alison Sealy-Smith and to the right is debut Director Ayesha Gobson-Gill, as you see, way different than the Michael Jackson buffoonery shown in the moribund Barbados Today!
At left is Alison Sealy-Smith and to the right is debut Director Ayesha Gibson-Gill, as you see, Ayesha is way different than the Michael Jackson buffoonery depicted in the jurassic Barbados Today not so long ago!

Alison is Executive Producer and Ayesha directs the cast which includes Matthew Murrell, Amanda Cumberbatch, Dy Browne, Jamelia Cobham and Nala among the cast of 14. The show begins Sept 29 and Ayesha looked at some of the stories used for this production which is also a launchpad for the Diasporic Arts Productions that’s spearheading the whole initiative, Ayesha chose four of the stories for adaptation {CLICK ON FOLLOWING LINK FOR FULL AUDIO};-

One theme looks at a sinner who is now seeking redemption while another is a musical looking at Culture Shock for Barbadians

Cast in rehearsal for the multi-genre "It So Happens" from Sept 29 to Oct 3
Cast in rehearsal for the multi-genre "It So Happens" from Sept 29 to Oct 3

It’s not all intellectual, there are also romances which explore typical schisms in Bajan society {CLICK ON FOLLOWING LINK FOR FULL AUDIO};-

One romance is on a girl who must decide over the wealthy fool or the ugly simple mechanic, while the other love story is a modern day version of Romeo & Juliet

While accustomed to straddling Barbados and Canada, theatre fund-raising in Barbados neverthelesswas a rude awakening for Alison Sealy-Smith {CLICK ON FOLLOWING LINK FOR FULL AUDIO};-

The “Streetlegal” star is accustomed to approaching fellow members of the Canadian dramatic community when she needs to secure a budget for a project, but in Barbados – culture is a whole new level

Meeting of cast with Ayesha and Alison at Central Bank's Grand Salle
Meeting of cast with Ayesha and Alison at Central Bank's Grand Salle

The Executive Producer eventually discovered not all of Barbados is so culturally dearth in their outlook {CLICK ON FOLLOWING LINK FOR FULL AUDIO};-

She was very grateful for support shown both by the Central Bank as well as The Ministry of Community Development and Culture

Join the Diasporic Arts Productions for their Debut Performance based on TIMOTHY CALLENDER‘s work, “It So Happens.” September 29th to October 3rd. SIX SHOWS. Frank Collymore Hall!

Follow on Instagram
«
»

One response to ““It So Happens…” observing & respecting the passage of Barbadian Author Timothy Callender at Frank Collymore Hall from month-end”

  1. angela knight Avatar

    Hi there mr ian bourne, i am glad to see your article on this topic. I am a student of the bcc program in theater arts year 1 and I am going with other class mates to see the play on september 29th at 1 pm as it required.

    I was researching timothy callender on line and came across this article. Thanks for sharing and have a great day. From time to time over the next two years i will watch to see your comments on the arts.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Main Template 336x280
BR2 If you saw this then you came to the best place to get seen