“Wipe That Smile” Remains Socially Relevant

“Wipe That Smile” Remains Socially Relevant
By Ryan B. Patrick
Pride Entertainment Writer
June 14, 2006

This week’s running of the stage play Wipe That Smile is proof-positive of, the more things change the more they stay the same.

Written by acclaimed Jamaican playwright, Kay Osbourne, and produced locally by Toronto-based Marcia Brown, Wipe That Smile remains as socially relevant today as when it was originally produced in the 1970’s, as experimental theatre with the Jamaica School of Drama and the Barn Theatre.

Emerging alongside reggae music at the time, the play, in Jamaica, formed part of an influential group of socially-critical nationalist plays such as “Smile Orange.” Specifically, Wipe That Smile takes a critical, and often lighthearted, look at social issues surrounding class struggle and racial oppression, which continues to impact the urban Black working class life and culture in Jamaica.

Even though the dramatic play was written in the 1970’s, the issues it touches upon are still relevant today, Brown tells Pride News Magazine.

Osbourne is no stranger to writing for the stage. As a playwright, her plays (“Country Duppy“, “Children Children” “Feminine Justice” “Single Entry“ and “Rosetta”, to name a few) have been featured across North America and the United Kingdom.

She is also an accomplished fine artist and her paintings have been exhibited at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry and at the University of Illinois’ Center for African American Arts.

Osbourne is also a major player in the corporate world. She recently relinquished an established career as a Black female executive in the United States to return to Jamaica, where she currently serves as the general manager for Television Jamaica (TVJ). Prior to joining TVJ, Osbourne served in executive leadership positions with Fortune 500 and emerging growth companies in the USA. Ebony Magazine recently named her among the leading Black Women in corporate America.

“No matter where you are in the world, you can either be a part of the solution to Jamaica’s problems or remain disengaged,” Osborne told the Jamaican Gleaner recently. “I have skills and competencies that could be used here and this is where I belong. So if the right opportunity comes along (as it did for me), you grab it and run. So, here I am with my heart and soul and skills.”

The play stars Brown, Naggo Morris, Elvis Hamilton, Nadeen Wilson and newcomer to the stage, Clive Braham, of radio station CHRY 105.5 FM. Wipe That Smile depicts the limited choices available to a family struggling to make ends meet in the contemporary Jamaican ghetto. Issues such as the underground economy and the role of drugs in an impoverished community are dramatically touched upon.

Jamaicans are usually unfairly stereotyped in the media as drug barons and violent criminals, Brown says.

The play tackles this perception head on, Brown says, and shows the root causes for any unlawful activity within these communities.

“Even though things may change, the issues remain on another level,” Brown says. “Suffering and struggle remains relative…years from now we’ll be talking about the same things we’re talking about today.”

With her company, Marcia Brown Productions (www.marciabrownproductions.com), Brown is well-known to theatre goers and has been dedicated to producing socially conscious and family-oriented shows. While she has managed to establish a steady following in Toronto, Brown readily admits that putting on shows can be a struggle.

“It’s not easy, but it’s my passion,” Brown says. But plays like this one have an important message and need to be told, she adds.

“It’s a family play and deals with the issues,” she says. “It has a message behind it. In the midst of all the laughter, there is high drama going on.”

Wipe That Smile premieres Saturday June 17 @ 8pm in the city of Ajax at the J. Clarke Richardson Collegiate Institute (1355 Harwood Ave. N.). This will be followed by performances on Father’s Day, Sunday June 18 @ 7pm at the Chinguacousy Secondary School (70 Williams Parkway) in the city of Brampton and Saturday June 24 @ 8pm & Sunday June 25 @ 7pm in the Burton Auditorium at York University (4700 Keele Street). For tickets and more information call: (416) 843-8787.