Since a script is hard to come by in local theatre it turns out a young actor has to dig deep and in the right places to find one, even jostle a few veterans to hang onto it. Jamal La Rose has had better luck, scripts find him and he not only hangs onto them, he executes enviably.
No major script has gone his way yet and there is no rush; he is still adjusting to life onstage and carving out a name as a serious, rising performer whose entrance into local theatre might coincide with the resurgence of more dramatic material, at least he hopes as much.
He is constantly fed comedic stuff, and though he ploughs through them with ease there is a sense that his strength is in drama. Jamal has comfortably shed the timid shell that young actors struggle to discard onstage early in their careers after only two projects; the most recent being recurring roles in Maria Edwards-Benschop’s Nothing to Laugh About.
“I like comedy but it is drama that I hope to define me as an actor. The deep, serious stuff is yet to come my way but it will and hopefully, I will embrace the characters with the degree of passion and seriousness that they ought to be embraced,” Jamal said during an interview with The Scene.
He speaks with a certainty that is rare, and his love for theatre is obvious in his mini monologues about the absence of dramatic plays locally and how much comedy has dominated within the past few years, and the stereotypical audiences that flock to see local plays. Strange enough, Jamal was a budding teenager during those past few years; a teenager with no sense of where he was going to end up creatively but one with keen artistic abilities.
If theatre was all he could do Jamal probably would. He admits that he has dreams beyond the stage at National Culture Centre to somewhere in Hollywood where a lanky lad from Melanie Damishana, East Coast Demerara could be accepted into the folds of American cinema and builds a reputation as a serious actor. In fact, he plans on being the first to do it. But he also hopes to study law; not to practice merely to qualify himself.
Three months ago Jamal was an unknown–in theatrical circles anyway– hoping to break out of obscurity, and he got his chance when the calls were issued for Guyanese to, ‘get involved’ in Carifesta. He signed up for the acting workshops and grew within the weeks he was in training. According to him, he learned from the best.
He benefited from technical training during the sessions in the lead-up to Carifesta, keeping focused and never losing sight of what he wanted, which was to act. Jamal was part of the amateur production staged as a prelude to Guyana’s signal play- the Legend of the Silk Cotton Tree. He was still considered too fresh for the signal production, but managed to get a small supporting role which he is proud of because he gets to tell people that he was also part of that.
Carifesta closed with him feeling like he had responded in a way that any Guyanese interested in local arts would have, but he wanted more than just that feeling so he joined the HR theatre group along with a few other young actors. The HR group is managed by respected actor and comedian, Henry Rodney.
It was through the HR group that La Rose scored a spot in Nothing to Laugh About, which is he proud of though his self-analysis allows him to look back and find things he could have done differently. But he is young and he is aware of that. He understands that projects will come and go, and that he will learn as he takes on them.
Jamal’s background in drama stretches back to his early school years. At age 20, he is fresh out of school just last year and still has fresh memories of his years of involvement in impromptu speeches, dramatic poetry competitions and school plays. He recalled that he was part of the Shakespearean play, Othello while at school in addition to a few others.
According to him, he was 15 years old when it dawned on him that he wanted to be an actor and within a few years he went from being a teenager with a slight rebellious nature to a young man positioned for local stardom. He describes getting into character as fun, but reveals that sometimes he struggles to get out of character. Jamal narrated one experience where he kept acting like an obeah man, which he portrayed in a recent production, when he was off stage.
He has no idea whether acting is in his blood since no one in his family has ever taken an interest in it, as far as he is aware, but he knows that he was born to do it. He also knows that he is poised to bring a new kind of attitude and presence to the local stage if he stays focused and remains committed, and he intends to.
Jamal understands that his day is coming and is no rush to prove himself just yet; he awaits his first serious, dramatic script. (ianaseales@yahoo.com)