INSIDE THIS ISSUE Unmasking Pierre Lemaire Orientation 2018 excites new students and parents Alumna Makiri Whyte dancing to the beat of his own drums “Nine Night” opens School of Drama 2018 Productions 1Creative Yard takes care of the business of Arts on Campus
Editor’s Note community and wider public abreast of our programmes and activities. In this issue, we engage former Director of Studies Pierre Lemaire who is off on pre-retirement leave after serving the College for over thirty-five years.
love that we are in Kingston Music City and extend an open invitation to our campus throughout the year. Please feel free to share your own arts news with us and any insight you may have for the arts community.
Enjoy our first issue for the Student contributor Kanille Brudy academic year 2018/2019. shares some insight on student company, 1Creative Yaad in the Greetings, School of Arts Management. We “Your work is going to fill a large part of join the conversation about the Caribbean migrant experience in your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is England with Natasha Gordon’s One love great work”. Steve Jobs “Nine Night”. I celebrate five years at the College this year and so Steve Jobs’ words resonate with me as I do feel like I am serving my purpose and getting paid while doing it. The truth is I love working at EMCVPA and I am happy that it fills such a great part of my life.
We feature the work of Leighton Estick one of our School of Visual Arts 2018 Graduands and ‘hol a vibe’ with graduate Makiri Whyte just returning from a tour with reggae icon Jimmy Cliff.
Artstock remains open with fine art and gifts from our faculty, students, alumni and Jamaican The Collegiate is also in its fifth artists community. Stop by for year and continues to fulfill its’ one of a kind gift items Mondays mission of keeping the College to Fridays 10 am to 6 pm. We
Coleen Douglas Director, Marketing and Communications ________________________________ Submit all editorial material to marketing@emc.edu.jm with “The Collegiate Editorial” included in the subject line.
Unmasking Pierre Lemaire
with Carolyn Lee, Public Relations Officer
through his wife who was teaching French at the time. I developed a good relationship with him and his wife, and he soon suggested that at the end of my service with the embassy, I should come and work at the Those who have been fortunate to School of Drama. I thought he interact with him on the College was joking and returned home at campus, will agree that his love the end of my service. He reached for what he does translates in his out to me again with the offer to strong work ethic, meticulous work at the School of Drama. approach to teaching, and his I had just gotten married to my overall indomitable spirit. A wife Carleen who was Jamaican, production with Pierre at the helm so returning to Jamaica was not a is usually one that is memorable, difficult decision. I taught French fun and highly impacting. at UWI, Hillel and a few other places but at Dennis’ insistence Pierre Lemaire taught at the begun teaching at the School of School of Drama for the past Drama on Saturdays. Two of my thirty-nine years. He is officially first students included the duo on pre-retirement leave but re- Bello and Blakka, who were in mains committed to sharing his my mime class. passion for teaching and empowering through the performing arts. Energetic, driven, passionate, personable, vivacious and fun loving are just a few of the words that could used to sum up Pierre Lemaire, former Dean of the School of Drama at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts.
The Collegiate shares some of the memorable moments of his career, his plans and more. Carolyn: How did you learn about Edna Manley College? Pierre: After I graduated from university in France, I had two options - If you didn’t want to become a soldier, they gave you the option to either join the military service or apply to work in cultural services in the French embassies abroad. I applied for cultural services and was sent to Jamaica. After a year and a half, I met Dennis Scott who was the head of the School of Drama
Carolyn: What influenced you to stay at EMCVPA for 39 years? Pierre: Dennis. He became my boss, my friend and my mentor. He had such a passion for the theatre, the school and the students; it was infectious. Our whole crew back then - Rawle Gibbons (lecturer), Honor Ford-Smith (lecturer) and the group from Sistren Theatre Collective, Tom Cross (Assistant Head of School of Drama), Jean “Binta” Breeze (dub poet), Mikey Smith (dub poet), Oku Onoura (dub poet) and all the dub poets there at the time - he passed on that passion to us. We became passionate too. We thought we could change the world!
Carolyn: Share one of your proudest moments at the College.
only four theatres like that in Jamaica (Phillip Sherlock, The Ward Theatre, and Little Theatre), and we Pierre: My proudest moments have one (Dennis Scott Studio Theatre) include when I see my past of them! We are lucky to have a space students return to the college to where we can rehearse properly and with teach/work. It tells me that we trained people - that keeps you going. were able to pass on that It keeps you healthy as well. Teaching passion that I mentioned mime and movement for actors involve earlier. I’m also proud when I get a lot of exercising. I still climb the rope to see how much my and do the pushups with my students. I students grow from their first year try to eat properly because I know when to the end of their studies, or after my body starts to feel unwell. As an actor, they leave. I know that that their you should know your body well. growth is not only because of me but because of us. As a school, we are all a part of their growth. Carolyn: What was a typical work day like for you? Pierre: A typical work day started at 8:00am with some administrative work before classes. Some of the administrative work included meetings, especially after I became the dean - at times those meetings could last up to five or more hours. After that, I would go to rehearsal, and we would be there at times until midnight or beyond. This was the kind of day that I enjoyed. Carolyn: You are always filled with energy. What do you do to stay healthy? Pierre: This is because I’ve never worked a day in my life! I only do what I like. This also goes back to what I said about being passionate. When you do something that you are passionate about, it’s what you like. If you get paid for it, even if it is a little, you are still lucky. When you teach here, you can direct, and you have access to studios. There is also a proper theatre here and the right equipment. There are
theatre, the quality of the writing, staging, acting and directing are not always where they should be. Some persons do very good work - writing scripts or getting a good director to direct. However, there are some persons who try to do everything - write, direct, produce and act in their own production. Even if you are very talented, you need an outside perspective to help you to improve some areas of it. If you are doing everything, how will you know what needs to change to make it better? With the lack of directors, especially, the theatre has slowed down, and is not evolving as much as it did when we had Trevor Rhone, Bobby Ghisays, Dennis Scott, and a bunch of other directors. Now we have only a few Trevor Nairne, Eugene Williams, and I will be directing outside again, now that I have the time to do so. It’s a small number of people who are trained as Carolyn: If you could change one thing directors. about the theatre industry currently, what would that be? You find also, that even the trained actors are sometimes overlooked Pierre: If I compare it to when I in commercial theatre, because came in the mid-70s, theatre was preference is given to celebrities, very cultural. It was not who are not necessarily good on commercial. Today, it’s more stage, but they are known, and commercial than cultural. When can bring an audience. So, there you speak of the theatre industry, needs to be a balance between the word ‘industry’ really being commercial (because you translates to the commercial need the audience) and doing aspect of things. There is nothing quality theatre. That balance wrong with commercial theatre, needs to be kept. once you keep the quality at a high standard. In some instances, with commercial
Carolyn: Although you are no longer at the College, do you have any plan/idea that you would love to see manifest to improve School of Drama or the College in general? Pierre: The idea that I have belongs to a collective (the principal, Eugene, myself and other members of staff). We need the land next door, where the police have their garage. The idea is to physically expand the college. We need more studios at the School of Drama. We also need a full-fledged performing arts centre on the campus. The Dennis Scott Theatre is a studio theatre. When the School of Drama was built, the theatre was a rehearsal studio. It was in the plan to build a real theatre at the back. The School of Drama was the last school to be built, and there wasn’t enough funding to build the theatre. Dennis Scott, which was to be the rehearsal theatre, became the theatre. We need something bigger to do productions for the entire college. To build the theatre, the additional studios and the centre would allow the School of Drama to take additional students (have more streams). It’s crucial to the survival of the school and the college, especially in the Caribbean context.
a Caribbean version of Mother Courage that a friend of mine is rewriting for her PhD. I hope to direct that in June of next year. Carolyn: Share three important tips for students/staff as it relates to accomplishing one’s goals. Pierre: The three key things that you need to accomplish your goals, especially if you are an artist: be passionate. Be passionate. Be passionate… without passion, it will not work. What are you doing now that you have retired? Pierre: I’m still around for a little while. I’m directing the 2018 Graduation Production. I continue to teach. I have some productions that I want to direct next semester; one here at the School of Drama, and there is
Carolyn: Any last words? Pierre: The School of Drama is still home. It’s home for all the Lecturers who have been here; who are still here, our students - that’s the idea. The School of Drama family still exists, and it means something.
The Vine
HOLDING A VIBE WITH MAKIRI WHYTE Stacy-Ann Lewis, Publication/ Research Officer
Makiri Whyte was the recipient of the Pamela O’Gorman Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement and Promise at Graduation 2016. Armed with drum sticks and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Jazz and Popular Music Studies, Makiri is sharing his music with the world. We recently touched base with him to find out what he has been up to and to share a few thoughts with us. Stacy: What has the transition been like from EMCVPA to industry? Makiri: The transition has been good. In school I did a few gigs so being in the industry full time now has been a little easier. I was already in a zone and a performance frame of mind, so it wasn’t as hard to move from one phase to the next. It’s good to get road practice and hone your skills while in school. If I didn’t have that experience it would have been
Makiri Whyte
harder. I did my final year show in May of 2016 and by July I was on my first tour in Europe for two weeks with Sevana.
Stacy: You were leader for Phuzzion Band while you were a student, are you still playing together? Makiri: Phuzzion is still alive and well, we still playing together. Sometimes the work will take us from each other because we all play for and tour with different artistes. When we’re all in Jamaica we spend a lot of time together in the studio. We are in production mode now, working on some new singles. We recently performed on a show with Shuga and we have some upcoming shows so look out for us... Expect new singles and lots of shows for the coming year. Phuzzion will be producing songs for the artistes that we work with like Shuga and Sevana. We’re working on our pension with some work behind the scenes (chuckling). A lot of songs that we’ve produced have been playing on the radio and we have more to come. Stacy: What can we expect from Makiri in 2019? Makiri: Me! You done know (laughs). More work, remain focused, knowing who I am and keeping that in mind that is really important to me. More work with Phuzzion. Just want to do my own thing so I can stay happy. Its good to play for another artiste but it’s best when you playing with your friends and holding a vibes. Maybe an album next year, who knows. I am also open to showing young musicians and artistes how to get themselves out there, help them to build a
foundation, just show them the way similarly to how someone helped me. I want to be a good role model you know, someone they can look up to for guidance and support. I want to set a foundation for the younger generation of musician and artists. Stacy: How has EMCVPA helped to shape your career? Makiri: EMCVPA helped me a lot. It helped to develop my ear, helped me to read music, analyse music better and develop my understanding of how the music industry works. My two greatest mentors and support persons in my music career are from EMCVPA, Mr. Derrick Stewart and Mr. Michael Fletcher. I met them there because they were my lecturers. Mr. Stewart taught me drums and Mr. Fletcher was my pop lecturer. Even now they are still the two most influential persons in my career. Mr. Fletcher would take us on shows and we play till 2:00 a.m. knowing we have his same class at 10:00 am the very same morning. When we show up late, he would be upset with us and let us know that this is how the real-world works. We will have to leave from one show to a hotel to change just to catch a flight for another show without sleep. And right now those lessons are so relevant. I’ve had days on the road just performing without proper sleep or no sleep at all; from show to hotel to airport. EMCVPA prepared me for this. Stacy: Give us 3 words to describe Makiri Makiri: Quick, clever and skilful. That’s the meaning of Makiri and those words really describe me.
Celebrating Randy Weston African Rhythms, Pianist, Composer 1926 - 2018 Randolph Edward “Randy” Weston was an American jazz pianist and composer whose creativity was inspired by his ancestral African connection. Weston’s piano style owed much to Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk, whom he cited in a 2018 video as among pianists he counted as influences, as well as Count Basie, Nat King Cole and Earl Hines. Described as “America’s African Musical Ambassador”, he said: “What I do I do because it’s about teaching and informing everyone about our most natural cultural phenomenon...”
Randy shared his knowledge and music with the College in celebration of International Jazz Day on April 30, 2018
Randy Playing at Devon House
We celebrate his spirit and extend our condolences to his family. May his soul rest in peace and his music live on.
Randy with School of Music Student at the Bustamante Hospital for Children
New 1Creative Yaad Managers excited about a career in the business of Arts
Contributor - Kanille Brudy, Year 2 Arts Management Major By way of a general definition, Arts Management can be described as the corporate administrative aspect of the artworld. In other words, it is the business component of show business or the organizational arm of our cultural and creative industries. This is the area concerned with the development, planning, coordinating and marketing of the arts. To foster deeper appreciation,
understanding and to facilitate effective first-hand learning experiences for future Arts Managers, the School of Arts Management and Humanities (SAMH) created the 1 Creative Yaad Company. 1 Creative Yaad is a vibrant arts management entity that is operated by students and supervised by two of the programme’s Lecturers, Dr. Anthea Octave and Mr. Owen “Blakka” Ellis, who bring a wealth of training, knowledge and real-world experience to bear on the work of the company. They provide instruction, caring mentorship and expert guidance, while challenging the students/ workers in the company to achieve our highest potential, excel in the performance of our duties, and produce industry-standard projects. The company also affords the “managers-in-training” an exciting space and opportunity to put into practice what we learn from the various courses, as we host seminars, coordinate events and mount productions either as
an individual company or in partnership with other groups/organizations and departments on and off the campus. The varied menu of courses offered at SAMH provides the theoretical knowledge we need to know about the industry. And, with lecturers who are established practitioners themselves, it provides an exciting marriage of solid theoretical foundation and useful practical experiences, which reinforce the unique value of Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts as the first and only tertiary level institution in the Englishspeaking Caribbean dedicated to training the next generation of world class creative artists and arts mangers. SAMH and 1Creative offer a one-of-its-kind opportunity for students to gain the experience which will enable EMCVPA grads to stand out among other managers and claim pride of place as the best in our field.
Natasha Gordon’s
NINE NIGHT
on Showcase at School of Drama The School of Drama opens its 2018/2019 productions with the staging of Natasha Gordon’s debut play “Nine Night” which opened in London earlier this year. According to Time Out Magazine, “Gordon’s intense, moving play pulls the focus tightly on a mourning family, and the mingled strains and comforts that tradition offers... her humour isn’t cautious: it’s unafraid to poke at racism, colourism, and the insults traded as Jamaica and Britain stare each other down, across centuries of brutal and oppressive history… the play says so much about how we rely on family for validation, for confirmation of our identity, putting a weight of need onto them that they sometimes just can’t fulfil. And it points to the cathartic power of ritual, too, in a culture whose burial rites are miles away from traditional England’s sad, grey funeral teas”. Head of the Theatre Arts Department, and Director of the play, Mrs. Elizabeth Montoya Stemann shares with the The Collegiate that “the play caught my attention for its social and cultural content. I wanted our students to embark on a play talking about our Jamaican citizens that ventured to have a life in the “mother land” and succeeded. At the same time, the theme of the Windrush has become important in the media and I wanted our students to get immersed in the family stories that
this topic engulfs. Our research brought us to painful places in our history and called us to reflect about its consequences and impact. We were moved and transformed by the human experience those audacious Jamaicans endured when surrounded by a foreign environment. Being in Jamaica and exploring the topic of what it means being a Jamaican abroad set them on fire.” The cast - Sheryl Minto, Chloe Lawrence, Tia Malcolm, Alexander Williams, Samantha Thompson, Kwela Cole and Shemar Ricketts - are excited to share with the public and hope audiences enjoy the truth that impacted them during the process.
Student Artist Feature Leighton Estick is a fourth year student of the School of Visual Arts graduating November 2018. His final year piece entitled “Origin� explores the creation versus evolution debate. His illustration manipulates the commonalities between the two perspectives and forges a unified idea to solve the endless debate. Enjoy this glimpse....
Student Services impacting new students with Orientation 2018 College Orientation programmes are usually the way students are introduced to the College community. They provide students with important information about registration, financial aid and general college processes. Orientation 2018 was an exciting experience for students that eased some of the
apprehension of ‘new’ over three days of August 20 -22 and 24.
what it means to be Caribbean. Former Principal Director of Culture in the Ministry of Gender, One hundred and fifty-two (152) Youth, Entertainment and Sports, new EMCVPA eager students and Sidney Bartley was the special their parents enjoyed what was speaker for the Wakanda for some a unique orientation as inspired “African Arrival Day”. College Orator – Amina Blackwood-Meeks set the We captured some moments... pace with a focus on culture and
Campus News Graduation Production 2018 Graduation Production 2018 will explore artificial/ artistic intelligence under the direction of Pierre Lemaire with musical direction by Michael “Ibo” Cooper. The keynote address will be delivered by Dr. Gregor Haughton, former 400 metre runner and Olympian. The ceremony will be held at the Vera Moody Concert Hall on Saturday November 17, 2018 at 2:00 pm. Dr. Gregory Orlando Haughton is a three-time Olympic Medalist, World Champion, Goodwill Games Champion, and Pan American Games Champion in track and field. He received his Ph.D in Business Management from Northcentral. University.
with Caribbean and Pan African audiences worldwide, she has collaborated with various other creatives to produce work that helps build community.
Michelle Sirieux joins the College community as Artist in Residence through the Cooper Residency The Cooper Residency Artist in Residence is an initiative of Alumna Ebony G Patterson which provides “emerging” artists under 40 from an undergraduate programme for at least 2 years or a self-taught artist who has been practicing for at least 6 years, who would like the opportunity, time and space to imagine a new body of work or project.
Dr. Gregory Orlando Haughton
A native of Castries, St Lucia, Serieux is a talented writer, director and producer whose contributions to the local Jamaican and wider Caribbean film industry spans more than a decade of dedicated commitment, service and innovation. As a proud alumna of the University of the West Indies and Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, Serieux is also a trained actor with a background in theatre. She is drawn to the art of storytelling, the quirkiness of character-driven independent cinema, and the power of cinema to create meaningful change. As a cultural and creative activist dedicated to using Michelle Sirieux her talents to create stories that resonate especially
Credits: Editor:
Coleen Douglas
Copy Editors:
Carolyn Lee Stacy-Ann Lewis
Graphics:
Robert Ayre
Contributors:
Carolyn Lee Stacy-Ann Lewis Kanille Brudy
Photo Credits:
Neil Waithe Pierre Lemaire Robert Ayre
The Collegiate is a newsletter published by the Marketing and Communications Department of EMCVPA