Pioneer producer/director and former Chairman of the Creative Production and Training Centre (CPTC), Wycliffe Samuel Bennett, reportedly died yesterday afternoon at the University Hospital of the West Indies following a long illness. He was 87 years old, and his death comes less than a month after the sudden passing of another Jamaican theatre stalwart – Trevor Rhone.
During his lifetime, Bennett served as a former general manager of the now defunct Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC), was a pioneering organizer of the National Festival of Arts, head of the Creative Production and Training Centre (CPTC), chairman of the Jamaica Drama League, and as a theatre director and producer.
He received numerous honors for his work in the arts, including the 2009 Actor Boy Lifetime Achievement Award, the National Order of Distinction (Commander Class), the Silver Musgrave Medal and the Centenary Medal from the Institute of Jamaica.
Bennett’s passing comes just before the planned release of a book – The Jamaican Theatre in the 20th Century: Highlights of The Performing Arts (UWI Mona Press) – which he co-authored with his wife and had planned to release this year. The book is a collector’s volume which carries photos of theatrical performances in Jamaica, set designs, art and architecture, some dating as far back as the 1600s.
Tue, Oct 6, 2009
General