Although its local premiere is still sometime away, the producers of Carnival Medea: A Bacchanal have been having stage readings, the last of which was held last weekend at The Black Box, Murray Street, Woodbrook. The Lordstreet Theatre Company production is scripted by Rhoma Spencer and Shirlene Holmes, and the challenging role of Medea will be played by Elisha Efua Bartels. In supporting roles are Kearn Samuel, Theresa Awai, Brenda Hughes, Myron Bruce and Mark Nottingham.
Visiting the T&T Guardian, Bartels said: “I got into Medea somewhat late. I got a call late into the game when they were already in rehearsals. I got a call at three in the morning, three days before the actual reading from my good partner Nicholas Salcedo. He asked me if I knew anybody who could do a particular role—the actor required to deal with large chunks of text, and be articulate in pronouncing Orisa names. He explained everything about the role. He told Rhoma about my interest and they called me right after, inviting me to a reading the next day. After that everything just fell into place.”
Medea was staged last year but this reprise will field a somewhat changed cast. “This time around, the actors who played in Medea last year are not on stage for this production,” revealed Bartels. “Actors like Salcedo, Che Rodriguez and Cecilia Salazar and a few others are not in it, perhaps not being available. I embrace this opportunity to be more involved with the rehearsal process and different actors.”
Bartels explained: “The play is based on the Greek tragedy Medea and it is localised in the setting of a J’Ouvert band. Knowing that I was coming into the process late served to free me from venturing with trepidation. Rhoma liked what I did. The text itself isn’t challenging for me, but the role of Medea is larger than life. She is a character who plays emotional extremes.”
Involved in the arts since childhood, Bartels has been dancing since six; more than 30 years ago. “I am a founding member of Metamorphosis Dance Company,” she disclosed, “and I am involved in the group’s 20th anniversary, to be held on the weekend of April 18 at Queen’s Hall. I have been dancing quite a lot. For all of 2014, continuing into this year, I have been dancing six days a week.
“I really enjoyed getting to work with Sonja Dumas’ Continuum Dance Project last year. I have been dancing with them since I returned home to Trinidad in 2008. Last year, for the group’s tenth anniversary, Sonja creates a full length ballet called The Museum of Difficult Women. I loved it and really enjoyed it all.
“I have also been dancing with Astor Johnson Repertory Dance Theatre (Rep). Rep is trying to rejuvenate itself and keep Astor’s work alive. Getting to learn Astor’s choreography has been a joy and amazing.”
So, beside dancing, what else does busy-as-a-bee Bartels do? “I enjoy writing,” she said, “but I like doing short fiction stories. But, in general, it’s difficult to get short fiction writing published because publishers prefer novels, especially first novels, because, they say novels sell. I have been working on a script. What I performed in The 3Canal show this year was actually a little piece from my script. The script is about half way completed. Hopefully, if I make enough money, I’d be able to complete by the end of the year. I have been working on this script for about two years, but I have thrown away so much of it during that time.”
Bartels reiterated, “Although I have been acting I have been doing a lot of dancing as well. I am enjoying being able to do both.
“Being involved in The 3Canal Show and doing Medea is exactly where I will like to be. Of course, when I am able to finish my script then I will be able to direct, something I truly enjoy doing. For me, as someone who loves theatre, I always want to see different types of shows on local stages. I also love seeing people doing new and experimental things. I would like to see different genres being explored; different types of roles made available to actors.”
Bartels thinks that local theatre is one-dimensional. She added: “We are not exploring other forms of the theatre art. I thought that Kurt Allen’s Barrack Yard for Carnival was a great experiment, one which worked. I must admit that I fell for Myron B in a big way because his performance was unexpected, and he surprised me more than once in a single performance. All his technicals were spot on, including diction, projection, and his songs were strong and well written. It was obvious that he gave careful thought to production. I also thought Kurtis Gross was great, as were the children who sang a David Rudder song.
“I must add that Dave Williams’ show at The Black Box was the best show that I saw for 2014. Sadly though, I don’t think more than 200 people saw this production.”
What’s next for Bartels? “Beyond Medea, the next thing for me would be welcoming an opportunity to do some more acting, as well as definitely doing much more dancing. But, I am trying to focus on creating some new theatre.”
Carnival Medea: A Bacchanal will be staged on August 5 to 15, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The festival is the forum where the world of theatre practitioners and artistic producers present new works.