– Plays a leading role in tonight’s staging of ‘Secrets – Father of the Man’ 

SHELLON Corlette is a bright, beautiful 17-year-old with an endearing personality that fits right into her plans of becoming a physiotherapist. She is one of the participants in ‘Secrets – Father of the Man’, a tragicomedy that will be held tonight (March 3) at the National Cultural Centre.

Owing to her caring nature, it was not difficult for her to slip into the shoes of ‘Nurse Claire’ who takes on the role as a caregiver in a senior citizens’ home. In addition to the practical things she’d do for the elderly, she would also notice things about their behaviour and try to cheer them up.

Shellon has been a product of Purple Arts Productions since she was about 10 years old when her grandma enrolled her in the children’s workshop led by local entertainer Simone Dowding, who incidentally is directing the play tonight.

“This is my first time outside of Purple Arts doing a production,” Shellon, a hockey player attached to the Saint Stanislaus Hockey Club, told Pepperpot Magazine.

She is not too nervous about her part tonight because playing the nurse role came easily to her. In fact, she can’t wait to showcase her acting talent. “You have to be patient; not all the time people are who they seem to be,” Shellon explained about the show.

The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and The Guyana Prize for Literature Group is presenting the tragicomedy in celebration of Guyana’s Literary Arts Festival 2024.
Written by Professor Paloma Mohamed, the Guyana Prize winning Play 2004 story takes place in a senior citizens’ home named ‘Pleasantville.’

It tells the story of five rejected seniors living in the home, some by family members and one by the man she loved. They all live with deep secrets that will be revealed at some point in the play.
“Then there is God/An angel – whatever the audience perceive him to be. The home is run by a matron with the support of a nurse and another staff,” Dowding shared, adding, “The audience can look forward to an entertaining but serious performance, sometimes seeing themselves in the story. Truth be told, they might very well see their loved one or someone who might have touched their lives in one way or another. As a part of the story, it tells that everyone has a secret or two.”

Other performers include Ms. Glory (Sheron Cadogan-Taylor), Mrs. Lall (Marisa Morgan-Bonnie), Mr. Grail (Frederick Minty), Mr. Lall (Paul Budnah), Mr. Ramirez (Brandon Singh), Matron (Patricia Marks), the house help Samuel (Gregory Eastman), and God/Angel (Shannon Edwards).

“It is a mixed cast. I really wanted to challenge myself by bringing inexperienced actors to the centre stage and have them work with the more experienced ones to bring the play alive,” Dowding said, adding, “I can’t say that it was difficult. I guess it is because of my style of directing. I open the door for my cast members to make suggestions, which they did. It has been a distinct pleasure to work with this mixture of talented performers.”

Paul Budnah, who is playing the role of a senior citizen tonight, has been acting for about 30 years now. He shared how the show sends a message about how the elderly should be treated. “Do you continue to love them? Put them in a home and neglect them? Some of our own children treat us that way. You don’t ever take your old ones for granted and don’t feel that they don’t need love and affection because they’ve grown old. Don’t ever abandon them because they still have a life; they still love and like to be loved.”

The play, according to Budnah, also shows another side of the elderly and why some of them end up in a home and are treated differently by others.

The play will begin at 20:00 hours and admission is $1,500. The school matinee will be tomorrow (Monday) at 13:00 hours. Admission is $500.

“I would like to express profound gratitude to Prof. Mohamed for trusting me with her work which was never staged before and to Minister Charles Ramson and the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport for ensuring that all Guyana Prize-winning plays are staged,” Director Dowding said.