New play opens Wednesday at Bliss
It’s a classy venue and Belizeans seem to be growing more comfortable with the new reality of the Bliss Centre for the Performing Arts. Monday night News 5’s Patrick Jones sat in on rehearsals for the latest theatrical production, set to open on Wednesday.
Patrick Jones, Reporting
? Such Good Children ? written and directed by Kathy Esquivel brings the harsh realities of today’s society into sharp focus, tracing the lives of four Belizeans from childhood to adolescence. Esquivel says she was writing from experience when she penned the script.
Kathy Esquivel, Playwright, ?Such Good Children?
?Well the writing was events that had happened particularly some events when a young man that I had known was shot and killed. And looking at when I had known him as a young man and the events that transpired, of course the story is not about him. But he was the point of concern and then of course the story, once you start a story it takes on its own life. But it was based on an event that happened.?
The cast is comprised of some familiar faces we’ve seen before, like Lead Actor Paul Hope, whose character, the gang banging Joel who uses his street smarts to tie the story together.
Paul Hope, Lead Actor, ?Such Good Children?
?He brings the play to life if you want to put it that way. Because almost all of it is surrounding around him and his lifestyle sort of mirrors the lifestyle of so many other Belizeans and the whole point behind it is just trying to get across the message of what is happening in the society today and what can be done to combat it to a certain extent.?
Esquivel says the range of emotions that will be displayed on stage should keep the audience interested from beginning to end. Using Belizean Creole and local inferences, ? Such Good Children ? is in many ways a stage version of this nightly newscast.
Kathy Esquivel, Playwright, ?Such Good Children?
?It’s not a documentary, but one of my characters, in fact several of them have said but this is so true. This is what people are saying, this is what is happening.?
Paul Hope
?The first time I read the scrip I was in awe. Because it is so real. It’s actually what’s happening out there. It’s life to the fullest extent if you want to put it like that in Belize. So I think it really does mirrors.?
The actors are all volunteering their talents. Hope says while it was a challenge to get into character, working with people who know their way around the stage has helped and the entire cast is ready for a good show.
Paul Hope, Lead Actor
?Well for one it’s becoming another person and in particular the character Joel is not one that I am very familiar with. My personal lifestyle is not in sync with that character. But to submerge yourself into another character of that nature is very hard, but if you get it, it’s wonderful because you can learn to appreciate the lifestyle of someone living this kind of life.?
Kathy Esquivel, Playwright, ?All Good Children?
?I don’t know I think you should bring a handkerchief. But you should also be ready to laugh. But in the end I think the message is that if we want better for our children they are not the ones responsible for the forces that are making it difficult. So we have to do something about those forces.?
Apart from the props on stage, the play will also utilize the medium of video tape to help tell the story, thereby eliminating the need to have small children on stage. Esquivel says that everyone is welcome to attend the performance and it should be especially helpful to students by providing them with useful points for the discussion of current issues in Belize. Patrick Jones, for News Five.
The show debuts on Wednesday night, with encore presentations on Thursday and Friday, at the Bliss Centre for the Performing Arts. Tickets are twenty dollars premiere, fifteen dollars reserved and ten dollars general admission.
