Have a bellyful of laughs with Rotary
Annually, some of Belize’s most prominent citizen humanitarians have taken to the stage in the name of a worthy cause. They are the Rotary Club of Belize and it’s that time of year for another Patrick Brown-produced play adapted for the Belizean audience. Residents of the River Valley will certainly recognize the setting of “River Bottom”, which is premiering shortly at the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts, not to mention a character or two. Rotary Club President Jaimala Vasquez and member Sandra McKay gave us a preview and also discussed how the proceeds will benefit those who most need it.
Sandra McKay, Rotarian
Sandra McKay
“This year’s production is called “River Bottom;” it is written by Patrick Brown from Jamaica, and over the past fifteen years, since 2003, most of our plays have been written by Patrick Brown. This is a play that is in a rural setting in Jamaica; we transferred it to a setting in rural Belize. We chose the village of Bomba – at the time they didn’t have light and water as yet, so that is the essence of the play and that is where the play is happening. It speaks to what is happening in the family setting in Bomba, what is happening in the community setting and there is a pastor who is being quite improper as a pastor, and he’s also a Minister of Government, for what it’s worth. Come and see what is going on with him. There is a lot of humor, it’s one laugh per line, and so you have a lot to look forward to. It’s clean, family fun; we’ve always promoted plays that you bring from the eldest to the youngest of the family, and this year is no different.”
Jaimala Vasquez
Jaimala Vasquez, President, Rotary Club of Belize
“We have quite a few ongoing Rotary programs, Gift of Life being the largest one – I know you covered the interview on that one. We saw about a hundred and eight patients this time and that was a real marker for us. We’ve already sent about sixteen kids as of July of last year. We have two on schedule to go between this month and the following month. We partner with hospitals in the U.S., we also partner with a hospital in Cayman, and believe it or not, we also partner with hospitals in Guatemala. Rotary is without borders, so everybody helps and it brings a better lifestyle and it is humanity for all.”
The Rotary also donates wheelchairs, builds a few homes and runs a school feeding program. Tickets are fifty dollars premium seating, thirty reserved seating and fifteen general seating. If you miss tonight’s premiere or want to see it again, you can catch it on Friday or Saturday night at seven-thirty.
