From class comedian to serious actor
-Michael Ignatius has truly come of age
HIS participation in school concerts, along with his sense of humour and natural knack for making people laugh, has led him to become one of Guyana’s top entertainers/actors. The country recently witnessed his performance in the popular Link Show, for the fourth consecutive year, and he is billed to perform in ‘Nothing to Laugh About’ come June. He is none other than 26-year-old Michael Brainard Ignatius, who was raised in Triumph, but later moved to Beterverwagting, known as BV, on the East Coast Demerara. He grew up with his mom and stepdad, and is the eldest of four children.
Ever since Michael ventured into acting, apart from the Link Show, he has performed in popular shows like ‘Love, Sex and the Tax Man’, ‘Smile Orange’, ‘No tricks no business’, ‘Awe Society’, ‘Two’s a crowd’, ‘Dosti’ and ‘Bhagban.’
He has also been featured in television advertisements with Digicel and Ashmins among other local companies, and is also due to work with Chief Executive Officer at the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T), Yog Mahadeo, on a Guyanese movie in May.
The BV Community High School, during Michael’s years there, was always buzzing with a concert or a drama festival, and teachers, knowing of Michael’s talent, would always ask him to do something.
“Sometimes I would just ‘kicks off’ in class and have to be disciplined because I always had somebody laughing or I’m doing some hilarious, spontaneous thing,” Michael told the Chronicle in an interview.
He represented his school in a play called ‘Blood Thicker Than Water’ at the Theatre Guild, and it was there that he came to the attention of Producer/Director Desiree Edghill who later commended him for his work. She not only lauded his prowess but also invited him to participate in a documentary she was making on HIV/AIDS.
It was the beginning of his dalliance with theatre and HIV/AIDS awareness, and pretty soon, he was training to become a certified Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) officer, which saw him educating his peers through workshops and drama in various parts of Guyana.
The first major play he did at the Theatre Guild was ‘One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ with Godfrey Norton, who is also a producer/director. “I just started to expand my acting skills, so it’s like a side hobby for me now; I just do it for fun,” Michael said.
He credits the likes of Godfrey Norton, Desiree Edghill, Ron Robinson, Maria Benschop, Linden ‘Jumbie’ Jones, Ajay Baksh, Rajen Tiwari (also known as Zapper Man or Calu), Francis Pearce, Margaret Lawrence, Richard Narine, Kirk Jordan with helping him hone his acting skills.
To earn his keep, he works full-time with the local firm, Ashmins Trading, doing marketing, but after work, it’s off to rehearsals, where he would be all evening until well into the night, going at times until midnight.
“I just love it (acting),” Michael said. “It has helped me a lot in my life. Entertainment is like a stress relief to me; it takes away from any problem that I have; I don’t find myself getting problems or stressing over something.
“It’s (acting) something natural; I just love to entertain. And it’s me just like being spontaneous. I love drama in the whole; serious drama, comedy. Comedy is my favourite; it adds some sort of comfort to me, personally. Those who are in the acting would understand. When you have to do a role, you have to be a different person. At times, you become a different person to every role you are given.
“With all the things happening in this country, all the social issues, sometimes you just want to free your mind. When you come and are entertained, you zone out from your problems and start laughing. The best medicine is laughter. You free your muscles. I like to be happy and I like to make people happy.”
Michael uses entertainment as a form of recreation, and in so doing gets an opportunity to free his mind of whatever is bothering him.
The rewards of acting, such as putting a smile on someone’s face or making people happy, cannot compare to any financial gains, Michael says. “I do it for people. Sometimes you walk down the road and people just look at you and start laughing. The fact that I could put a smile on someone’s face is enough for me. That’s my joy; that’s my reward.”
Michael explained that acting in Guyana is not financially viable and hence cannot be done as one’s primary means of obtaining an income. It however compensates him for his time and transportation.
To be a good actor and comedian, Michael says besides being versatile and disciplined, one also needs to try understanding the role they’re assigned to play. “And if you want good comedy, you have to play it serious. You also have to know what the storyline is. You don’t have to do anything much; let the lines speak for themselves. A good comedian will have discipline, a love for acting, read the play they are doing and understand their part and those of others, and don’t overact.”
In addition, Michael gets tips from his colleagues whom he observes as they act. Whenever he’s not in a production, he would go and watch plays and the performances of others. “You just go to support different producers. You credit those who are good. Some people just have the natural ability to act like this girl Miranda Austin. We grew up together and worked together. She’s great. Because each person brings their own style to acting, sometimes you take tips to your acting style. When I go and watch, it’s not to criticize. I don’t judge and say I didn’t like that.”

Gay roles
“Some people see me and pass me and don’t like me because they think I’m gay. That’s not true. It’s because of the roles I play. Look, it’s funny how people mind work. I am an entertainer. If you look at movies and these big Hollywood actors budday, they have people playing gay roles budday; homosexuals dressing up and these kinds of things.
“It’s entertainment. I wish people would understand that this is just entertainment. If I’m on national television and I have on a short pants and a short dress and I then I’m walking on the road like a normal man, it should tell you something that this person is not that.
“People say I act so real. He acting too real, he gotta be. But I’m a 100 percent, 200 percent, 400 percent man,” Michael said. He believes that the role he played in ‘Two’s a Crowd’ has especially given people the idea that he is a homosexual.
Nevertheless, Michael said one day he hopes to get married. Finding the right person, though, is another thing. “Relationships are very complicated. I could tell you that.” He is father to four-year-old Xavier and will be the father of a second child in June.
Two of his main objectives in life at this point are to secure his own home and to provide his kids with a sound education.
In the meantime, he is aiming to remain a humble individual. “I believe in humility. Humility is the best thing. It helps you to stay grounded and focused. People respect you more when you’re humble. I respect someone who is humble, not too pompous, not too aggressive.
“People don’t think I am approachable. But they need to understand that I’m not going to walk around smiling all the time.”
Besides acting, Michael loves cricket, table tennis, pools, hanging out, dancing, singing, and karaoke.