Jamaican Plays

Playwright, Aston Cooke, recently won the Best Play award for his entry – a full-length manuscript called Jonkanoo Jamboree – in the 2009 National Literary Competition that was staged by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC). He was presented the award at a ceremony held recently at the Rex Nettleford Hall at the University of the West Indies.

Cooke is very well known on the Jamaican theatre scene. He reportedly began writing while attending Wolmer’s Boys’ School, and participated in the Secondary Schools’ Drama Festival. In 1979 he penned the award winning one-act play, “Pickle”, which was entered by Wolmer’s for that year’s festival.

His writing credits include several LTM National Pantomimes – River Mumma and the Golden Table, Children-Children, Jamaica Run-Down, Jamaica Pepperpot, Front Room, Country Duppy, Kiss Mi Neck and Single Entry. He has also written the multiple award-winning Jamaica 2 RAHTID, Concubine and Pupalick plays. His current production is Me and Mi Chapsie, which is playing now at the Pantry Playhouse in New Kingston.