At the helm of GhettOut’s talented cast is the ever-popular Keith ‘Shebada’ Ramsa. Fresh from his performance in Serious Business, Ramsay is undoubtedly in his element in GhettOut, bringing the energy, drama, struggles and excitement of the ghetto to life. Look out for him to set the trend once again with feisty, catchy phrases. Joining Shebada on stage is Maylynne Lowe, Maxwell Grant, Orville Hall, Abigail Grant, Luke Ellington and Junior Williams.

GhettOut is a murder mystery topped with large portions of comedic entertainment. It opens on July 30 at the Green Gables Theatre (6 Cargill Avenue, Kingston 10), and will thereafter play from Wednesday to Saturday (8:30 p.m.) and on Sundays (5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.). For ticket information and to book benefit performances, please call 926-4966.

Admission: $900 pre-sold, $1000 at the gate.
Tickets available at Whithorn Gas Station

For more information and bookings, please call 509-6936 or 870-4293.

Pepper resents her mother terribly for drinking, and wants her to get help to stop; but her mother denies having a ‘problem’. During her search for the ‘meaning of life’, Pepper interacts with electrifying forces that change her forever, and she is not prepared for what happens next.

As her roller coaster life unfolds, she comes face to face with situations that threaten her family and herself. Pepper’s Mother – Nikki – has her own personal demons to contend with, and is convinced that the Father Almighty has abandoned her, leaving her a very bitter woman.

Pepper’s best friend, her spoilt pal Rachel (whose parents are very wealthy) has a strong influence on Pepper. Their activities usually land them on the wrong side of the law, forcing Nikki to repeatedly warn her daughter about keeping ‘bad company’.

Nikki tries her best to spend time with her daughter but fails, as she often has to work late into the night in order to provide for them. Pepper is convinced that her mother doesn’t love her. This widens the rift that already exists between them, and leads to some explosive and hot-tempered confrontations.

Pepper can be extremely unkind to her mother, and wanted to go with her father when he left. Pepper’s Aunt Bernice (her mother’s sister) visits occasionally. She knows what Pepper and Rachel are up to and plans to put a stop to it. Aunt Bernice is not prepared to go down without a fight, and fight she does, for everyone that she loves dearly.

Second Chance is a pulsating performance, with a hugely talented cast and riveting storyline. It was written by Angie Binns, produced by Funhouse Productions and directed by David Tulloch. Second Chance’s cast includes Denise Hunt, Dorothy Cunningham, Lawrence (Max) Woodham, Dawnette Hinds Furzer, Stephanie Hazle and Maliaka Bryce.

Second Chance plays July 17 to August 29 at the Pantry Playhouse in New Kingston. It will show Wednesday – Friday at 8 p.m., and Saturday – Sunday at 7 p.m. For more information, please call 374-3650.

According to Allen, “there is a constant demand for our brand, both locally and overseas, because our customers have come to rely on our ability to deliver extremely entertaining productions. We take that responsibility very seriously and ensure that each production meets the standard or even surpasses the bar set by previous shows.”

‘Ghett-O-Life’ tells the story of Barbara, who is now a whopping US$2 million richer following the mysterious death of her husband in the United States. She, however, faces a major hurdle – how can she retrieve the cash and transport it to Jamaica without being detected? She teams up with ‘Ruler’ who, through his questionable connections, engineers a plot to transport the cash to Jamaica in its ‘raw’ state using a number of persons to ensure its safe passage through customs. Among his contacts is the mayor, who offers this safe passage if Barbara helps him persuade the ghetto people to sell their land in order to make way for a new housing development.

As the plot gets more complicated, Ruler’s association with Barbara deepens, raising serious concerns for his wife Maude, who is determined to hold on to her man. Then there are the two corrupt officers of the law, driven by greed and eager to get in on the business.

Following the official launch of July 30, ‘Ghett-O-Life’ will play at the Green Gables Theatre from Wednesday to Saturday at 8:30 p.m., and on Sundays at 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

After two sold-out stagings of “Serious Business” in early June, the Irish and Chin office was inundated with requests for another show. Clearly, the many people who missed the New York shows were anxious for another opportunity to see the hit play. For these reasons, popular dancehall promotions team Irish and Chin pegged encore performances of the play from Stages Productions.

“I really look forward to returning to New York,” said Keith “Shebada” Ramsay enthusiastically. “After the last show, fans were waiting to meet me, but I had to get to the airport……hopefully, I will get to meet some of them this time.”

“We had to do it again … the hype from our staging in early June flooded the streets and calls came pouring in,” said Garfield “Chin” Bourne of Irish & Chin. “It took a lot of effort to make this rerun possible because the cast was fully booked, however, at the last minute a weekend was canceled and I grabbed it.”

Because this will mark the last run of the “Serious Business” play, patrons are encouraged to buy their tickets in advance. Now is a chance for those who missed Irish and Chin’s first two stagings of “Serious Business” in Brooklyn and Queens to find out what the incredible buzz is all about. And if one has already taken in “Serious Business,” they can now bring friends to experience a great evening of humorous Jamaican theater.

Irish and Chin promises the complete dancehall and theater package at the July shows, with DJ Roy providing intense dancehall selections before the play and during intermission. Patrons have been ranting over the vibes, describing an Irish and Chin play as if it were a dance. Because the raffle at the June shows was a hit, Theatergoers will once again be able to enter a raffle for a great giveaway – this time, an Ashley living room set will be up for grabs at both the Brooklyn and Queens shows. So, all-in-all, those in attendance will be able to enjoy a twist of dancehall, see a top play and have a chance to win top prizes, all in one evening.

Following this performance, Keith “Shebada” Ramsay will make his debut in a new play from the Stages Productions camp in Jamaica. This new production is not slated to hit the U.S. until some time in 2011. Although the actor has thoroughly enjoyed his comedic role as Brother Shebby in “Serious Business,” he is excited about what the new play has to offer. And just as Keith “Shebada” Ramsay will take on a new effort following the encore performances of “Serious Business,” Irish and Chin will move on to stage a 10-city U.S. Tour of Stages Productions’ “The Plumber.” Currently hailed as Jamaica’s top comedy, “The Plumber’s” U.S. Tour will run in October 2010.

In every sense of the word, “Serious Business” is a summer hit. Patrons of the Brooklyn and Queens shows in early June left laughing and reciting many of the play’s punch lines. Don’t miss your last chance to see Keith “Shebada” Ramsay in “Serious Business” July 24-25. It will be an unforgettable night and the last chance to see the play, as it will not be touring again.

House Arrest is the third annual summer production of Manna Entertainment. The two previous ones were Moon River and Dream Merchant, and from all indications, House Arrest may very well be the most hilarious of the three.

According to playwright Adrian Nelson, “the previous productions received rave reviews from both local and international critics, who referred to them as a refreshing change to local theatre. We have been very successful in creating a new style of drama which caters to a niche market of the theatre goers, who are not just looking for comic relief, but for a play with substance and inspiring moments. The only difference with House Arrest is that theatre goers can expect a whole lot more laughter.”

“Dis ya one gwey have the city under lock and key …. no, not curfew, lock and key,” laughed veteran actor Oliver Samuels. “As Adrian says, our previous productions have always had lots of laughs, but we were more focused on a strong motivational and inspirational message. The intent is the same with House Arrest, but unuh jaw bone gwey hot unuh when unuh done watch dah play yah, cause unuh gwey laugh from start to finish.”

House Arrest boasts an interesting and unusual mix of ‘uptown’, traditional and roots theatre actors – namely Felisha Lord, Nadean Rawlings, Ronald Goshop and Tesfa Edwards – which guarantees a flamboyant journey that is cleverly brought to life by veteran director, Carol Lawes.

The play tells the story of a rookie cop who gets a rude awakening when a man that he sent to jail three months ago escapes. The unsuspecting escapee takes refugee in a house, only to later realize that it is the home of the same cop that he claims wrongfully sent him to jail. He takes the entire family hostage, and now the cop has to race against time to outwit and topple the vengeful fugitive – before he begins to exact his revenge on the entire family.

House Arrest plays Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and on Sundays at 6 p.m.
Venue – Theatre Place, Haining Road, New Kingston

For more information about House Arrest, please call 908-0040 or 865-9844.

Brown has put together an excellent ensemble cast to fully execute the story of FEMININE JUSTICE. The cast includes Brown herself, who has been busy as a bee in Toronto’s Caribbean theatre scene since she arrived from Jamaica in 1989. It would be fair to say that Brown has certainly made a household name for herself in the community from the consistent and tireless work she has put in ranging from her comedic stints at local community and church events to the memorable and electrifying stage plays such as “Country Duppy”, “Children Children”, “Wipe That Smile”, “Single Entry”, “Rosetta” and “Common-Law”.

The FEMININE JUSTICE cast is rounded off by comic actor and man about the stages, Naggo Morris (who it seems is a resident actor in plays produced Marcia Brown Productions), Letna Allen-Rowe and newcomer to the Toronto stage, Clive Forrester.

Commandeered by her mother into marrying Wilton Chambers (Clive Forrester), a psychologist with power, wealth, status and fame, Vilma (Marcia Brown) thought it might be the best thing that could have happened to her. Wilton however turned out to be an abusive husband, and she is manipulated by both to keep this “little matter” under-cover … after-all, Wilton is a psychologist who is well recognized by his peers as an astute professional in the medical fraternity, he is respected by the Bishop in his church as a honourable man and faithful in his giving, so his reputation would be damaged if this came to light, not to mention his bruised ego.

Fate however would not have this going on forever, so after sustaining a serious life-threatening motor vehicle accident, he is confronted with the consequences of his actions by divine order. What does he do when he discovers his destiny, lies in the hands of a woman!!!

His wife on the other hand, must come to terms and accept responsibilities for her own limitations. Will she lower her pride and receive fact-facing truths from a simple, uneducated and seemingly underprivileged gardener (Naggo Morris)!

Dawkins’ characters are profoundly and intensely layered in ways that are engaging and compelling, and under Canute Lawrence’s outstanding direction, the members of this peerless ensemble have worked to ensure that the portrayal of their characters will leave audience members with unwavering conviction.

FEMININE JUSTICE is thought provoking and evokes much emotion. The subject matter is not for laughs – but with the witty lines penned by Dawkins, it certainly has it’s ample share of belly-full-of laughs through the play.

FEMININE JUSTICE received awards for Best Drama, Best New Jamaican Play and the most coveted, Best Production, from the International Theatre Institute (Jamaica Chapter) in 1999.

Below are the performance dates:

Brampton
Saturday June 19 @ 8PM
Chinguacousy Secondary School
1370 Williams Parkway East

North York
Father’s Day – Sunday June 20 @ 6PM
Jamaican Canadian Centre
995 Arrow Road

Confirmed New York dates and venues
Friday, May 28 – York College, Queens
Saturday, May 29 – Brooklyn College, Brooklyn
Sunday, May 30 – Truman High School Auditorium, Bronx

The New York performances have been arranged by Herman Hall Communications, under the auspices of his flagship, Everybody’s Magazine – a leading Caribbean/American publication which celebrates its 26th year of publication this year.

After these New York performances, Easy Street returns to Jamaica for encore performances in June at the Centerstage Theatre, before jetting off to Florida for several performances on 4th of July weekend.

More about Easy Street here