‘BELLYWOMAN BANGARANG’ remounts

Kingston, Jamaica – November 16, 2018: The School of Drama at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts open its final weekend of its dramatic production, entitled ‘Bellywoman Bangarang’ on Friday, November 16, 2018 at 7:00 pm. The play, originally directed by Honor Ford-Smith, past lecturer of the Jamaica School of Drama and a founding member of the Sistren Theatre Collective, was revived for a 6-show run from November 9 –11 and 16 –18 at the Dennis Scott Studio Theatre on the College’s campus.

‘Bellywoman Bangarang’ is the tale of four young women who are coming of age in seemingly unforgiving circumstances. Their relationships with their mothers and caretakers buckle under the pressures of their burgeoning sexual awakenings as they learn to navigate the world of men. They are in the midst of giving birth not only to their fatherless babies, but their understandings or misunderstandings about womanhood. The main characters are Didi, 16, Gloria, 18, Yvonne, 14, and Marie, 16 respectively.

Director, Camille Quamina hopes that this remount of bellywoman bangarang will show stories of triumph as the characters seek to reclaim themselves from “Bellywoman.” Set in a 80s and 90s dancehall era it shows their lives being retold in and through the dance, triggered by the ritual of human interaction such as children’s games and courting. In the end their re/birth is made manifest by their own act of life giving.

‘Bellywoman Bangarang’ addresses concerns that are still current in present-day Jamaica including sexual ignorance, teenage pregnancy, mother-daughter relationships and sexuality. Audiences will be captivated by the immense power of the message which this play sends to young women. For more information please contact the marketing department at 920-4633 or the ticket office at 968-0028. Tickets cost $1500 each.

The Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts has been through several stages in its evolution. The four Schools—Drama, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts—started out at different locations in Kingston. Two of the Schools, namely the School of Art and the School of Music, are historic because of their establishment in 1951 and 1961 respectively, before the island gained its independence from Britain in 1962.