Derek Walcott once called her "one of the finest actresses in the Caribbean today". That was 34 years ago, when Mavis Lee Wah was a relative newcomer to the local stage.
The Nobel laureate was then Guardian critic and known to be stingy with his praise. But he had seen her electrifying performance in Swedish playwright August Strindberg's "The Stronger" and the quote above is taken from his published review.
Not surprisingly, Walcott later cast her in two of his plays: "The Charlatan," which toured Jamaica (her native land), and "The Last Carnival."
Her theatrical career got a kick-start when, as teenage Mavis Arscott, she excelled in her elocution class: becoming Jamaica's secondary school champion of the art in the under-19 age group.
While a young teacher in Montego Bay, she took part in the play "Night Must Fall." Subsequently, as an undergraduate of the University of the West Indies (UWI) at Mona, she displayed her acting versatility.
She was cast in Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex", and as two Shakespearean characters: Lady Macbeth and the nurse in "Romeo and Juliet."
Interestingly enough, on UWI's Mona campus, she also played the lead role in "Juno and the Paycock" by Irish playwright Sean O'Casey. Appearing onstage with her (but in a minor role) was PJ Patterson, now Prime Minister of Jamaica.
Sharing her intense interest in drama - albeit in a different capacity - was fellow student, James Lee Wah. While Mavis continued to make her mark in acting, James was quietly carving for himself a niche in directing.
Though the young Trinidadian was already displaying an interest in the fair lady, he had to wait his turn. She just happened to be dating a fellow Jamaican by the name of Michael Manley.
That friendship, however, never quite graduated to the level of a romance. In time, Lee Wah proposed and was accepted.
It is a marriage that has not only endured but, for local theatre, proven fortuitous.
Newly wed, they settled in San Fernando where Horace James had - a short while before - established the Drama Guild. The young couple became members.
But, almost immediately, Horace had to move to Port of Spain.
The mantle of leadership fell upon James Lee Wah. For the next 20 years, he guided its destiny.
Mavis, meanwhile, was steeped in motherhood. In quick succession came their three children: Kathleen, Sharon and David.
In spite of her full-time teaching job at Naparima Girls' High School, not to mention home duties, she still mustered the energy to act. It was under the aegis of the San Fernando Drama Guild that she did the Strindberg piece that so impressed Derek Walcott.
The 60s were a fertile breeding ground for Lee Wah initiative. Together, Mavis and James found the Secondary Schools Drama Association, which, in turn, gave birth to the Secondary Schools Drama Festival.
James went on to set up, almost simultaneously, the San Fernando Arts Council. In the 60s, too, he was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to Yale University to pursue a year long course in directing.
Then, in 1972, tragedy struck. The Lee Wah's lost their youngest child, and only son, to leukemia. David was eight years old.
James and Mavis were devastated. For a while, their world ground to a halt. But, with tremendous faith and courage, they found the strength to go on. Their dedication to drama continued.
In 1975, James went on a British Council scholarship to England where he obtained a diploma in arts administration. The following year, when he returned to Trinidad, he felt the time was ripe to start his own drama group.
Accordingly, he founded the San Fernando Theatre Workshop (SFTW) which in the 23 years since its inauguration has staged no less than 37 productions. Among them were plays as varied as "Moon on a Rainbow Shawl" by Errol John, Walcott's "Ti-Jean and His Brothers", "Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Beckett, Spanish writer Frederico Garcia Lorca's "Blood Wedding", "Fanlights" by Puerto Rican Rene Marques, two Russian comedies, "The Bear" and "The Proposal" by Anton Chekov, "Theatre of the Absurd" by Ionesco and Diaz, George Bernard Shaw's "The Dark Lady of the Sonnets" and "Le Malade Imaginaire" by Moliere. An impressive list by any standard!
Supporters of this theatrical group have come to expect a high degree of skill. Especially when Mavis Lee Wah, David Sammy and Hansley Ajodha are simultaneously on stage, as they will be during the forthcoming production, their fans are never disappointed.
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The San Fernando Theatre Workshop is staging Mavis Lee Wah and Friends. It will be presented at Naparima bowl on the evenings of September 30 and October 1 and 2. Starting time is 8 p.m. and tickets, priced at $50, are available at the Bowl. Excerpts from three plays will showcase the talent of the leading lady of the San Fernando stage. Lee Wah will be ably supported by an experienced cast headed by David Sammy and Hansley Ajodha. Patrons will be treated to scenes from The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, Juno and the Paycock by Sean O'Casey and The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. Other cast members for the forthcoming production include Willard Gopaul, Shereen Mohip, Tammitha Shaw and Sharon Lee Wah. On the technical side, Alison Banks and Anna Leonard are stage managers, with Roger Ali in charge of lighting and Glenda Hackett, costumes. Set designer is well-known south artist, Willi Chen. The event is subtitled 'an evening of drama and music'. Between scenes, music will be provided by the SGR (for Stephen, Gunilla and Rowena) trio. This group - which specializes in baroque music - features Rowena Wattley on the piano, her husband Stephen on the flute and Gunilla Tang Kai on the violin.
Formed with the specific purpose of competing in the national music festival, the SGR trio were winners of the Michelle Khan Memorial Trophy in the past three consecutive festivals. |