-the exciting plot captures the struggles of a Guyanese interracial couple

‘SHADES of Brown,’ a brand new show that seeks to portray the Guyanese culture in the keenest way possible, will be released on Saturday, and promises an exciting plot that showcases an interracial couple and their struggles to be together.

Anastacia Shako-Van Tull, also known as ‘Ann3ie’, is the writer, director, and producer; and is also the actress who plays the lead role of ‘Victoria’.

The 27-year-old, who has always had an inclination towards drama and acting owing to her upbringing in church, wrote the show in 2020 when there was heightened racial tension in the country.

“I wanted to highlight that every race has racist tendencies and to show that though we are not perfect, we should try to be more cohesive even if we don’t like another race,” Anastacia told Buzz this week about the show, which will be released on Facebook and YouTube under ‘Anniemated Productions.’

“Seeing the reaction of the parents to this interracial couple, and that of the friends would bring some of our bad side to light so that some people may be able to relate,” she added.

The first season of the show will feature six episodes that will each last between 30 and 45 minutes, and, depending on the reception, more episodes may be added to season two.

It features Sonia Yarde, Mark Kazim, Simone Dowding, Gerard Gilkes, Paul Budnah, Nirmala Narine, and several new and upcoming local artistes.

Reflecting on how it all got started for her, Anastacia said: “I struggled with depression for most of my life and television has always been that kind of safety net for me. I would binge a lot of TV and after a while I started getting a desire to write my own [show].”

At first, she didn’t think she could do it, but a friend gave her the idea of a TV show and, since then, she started putting together her ideas little by little.

“When I was driving to work in Parika, the journey was long; I would write down my thoughts. One of the first lines that came to me was what the Indian father said, ‘Is black she black or is she madras?’ I scribbled that down and used it in the show,” Anastacia reflected.

“It’s little things like that that got me started. On the paper it wasn’t that great but I interacted with some veterans who helped me. After working on it for like a year, then I approached the actors and so on,” she continued.
In church, there was a big production aspect in terms of musicians and performers and Anastacia was always heavily involved. While being a musician for many years, Shades of Brown is the first show she has acted in.

In fact, it’s her biggest project yet.