Theatre History Overview - Part 28 - Jamaican Theatre

During the British rule of Jamaica, the first theatre was founded in Spanish Town in 1682. During the 1700s, two more theatres opened in Spanish Town and one opened in Kingston. Some people fled the United States and Europe, relocating to Jamaica, in order to avoid the Revolutionary war. Some of these people became involved with the four theatres in Jamaica. At the time, the most common performances were plays by Shakespeare and his colleagues.

In 1912, Charles James Ward founded the Ward Theatre in Jamaica. In the 1920s, Broadway plays started visiting the theatre. The Broadway actors considered it an honor to perform there. The Ward theatre lasted well into the late 20th century. However, the theatre fell into decline and closed.

While there might have been some influence from indigenous Jamaica theatre, it took many years for a true Jamaican theatre to develop. In 1941 (while Jamaica was still under British rule), the Little Theatre Movement (LTM) was founded Greta Fowler. It had the mission of fostering and developing theatre in Jamaica. LTM did not have a permanent home until and would perform pantomime plays in various locations in Kingston until it got a permanent home on Tom Redcam Drive.

Theatre in Jamaica today has some mainstream theatre. Most Jamaican theatre focuses on scripted plays that focus on Jamaican day to day living. Basil Dawkins and Paul O. Deale are popular playwrights that produce plays that deal with political and social commentary.

However, there are efforts to bring back the original Jamaican theatre form involving pantomime, music, drama, and comedy. Being that Jamaicans usually write in patois (local dialects), and some tourists cannot understand it, so Jamaican plays often do not appeal to others. Yet, Jamaican theatre is still running and growing.

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