By Tanya Batson, Staff Reporter
DAVID HERON can accurately be described as a successful playwright and producer. Beneath the sister (or should that be 'brother') locks and unassuming pose, is a man who has written, and often produced, acted in and even directed four successful plays.
Nonetheless, Heron has by no means reached as far as he intends to go in the world of theatre. "I want to see Jamaican theatre conquer the world the way reggae music conquered the world," he told The Gleaner.
The fact that Love and Marriage and New York City, the last play he wrote, received a nomination in the prestigious Audelco (Viv) Awards last year, suggests he is doing his own little part in seeing that done.
Heron also has aspirations of conquering the celluloid world, and they may soon come to fruition. He revealed that he has been approached by an interested party about turning his new production, Redemption, into a film. This discussion came about even though Redemption is currently only in rehearsals. The play will premiere at the Hilton Kingston Hotel on Valentine's Day.
Heron's first play, Ecstacy, has also been earmarked for the screen. He explained that he has already completed the adaptation to a screenplay and is currently sourcing funding for the project. He explained however that even were his celluloid dreams to come true, he would not be willing to give up theatre. "There is nothing like the live audience," he said.
Wearing the additional title of producer, Heron is quite pleased with the cast he has selected for Redemption, his fifth play. He noted that because he believes that choosing the right cast is half the work of doing a production, he is always careful about his selection.
Heron also noted that the fact that his plays usually run for a very long time also influences casting decisions. He noted that the length of the run dictates that he needs persons who are in theatre full time, or at least have flexible schedules otherwise.
After its opening at the Hilton, followed by a staging at Belair High in Mandeville, Redemption will have a limited run at The Pantry Playhouse before embarking on a tour of the United States.
Redemption will feature the talent of Paul Campbell, Karen Harriott and Fahrenheit, along with Heron himself. It focuses on how a man of God, Robert (Paul Campbell), will deal with the suspected infidelity on the part of his wife (Karen Harriott).
Heron remarked that he chose to tackle the issue of infidelity for two reasons. He noted that he has long been fascinated by the relationship between religion and sex. The second reason was based on Redemption's difference from his previous plays.
He explained, "Whenever I decide to embark on a new script I always try to make it as different as possible from the previous script." The last play he had written was Love and Marriage and New York City, which dealt with marrying for money and the emotional consequences of doing so. Whereas Love and Marriage, written in 1999, was a romantic comedy, Redemption is a romantic drama.
The decision to embark on a drama in the local theatre landscape is an interesting one for Heron, especially since there is the argument that drama cannot make money in the local climate. Heron believes that what has worked for him so far is his marketing strategy.
Heron worked as a marketing executive before he quit 'the world of the shirt and tie' for the theatre, thus it is not surprising when he reveals that he has a flair for 'creative marketing'. "It is so important to market your product properly," he explained. Whether it is his natural flair or simply the roll of the dice, the market seems to be in Heron's favour so far. Love and Marriage reportedly sold out at varying venues during its tour of the United Kingdom.
Heron points out that having a very good financial controller also helps.
He added that simply relying on the Jamaican market is not sufficient for the kind of success he hopes to attain. As such, Heron has taken the creative decision to give his plays a universal appeal. One of the traits which have developed as a result is that Heron's productions, starting with Love And Marriage and New York City, are written in standard English.
Heron explained that this will also mean that his topics will also lend themselves toward characters who speak standard English. He argued however, that this does not render his plays non-Jamaican, or even 'uptown'.
"I've been called an upper class playwright," he said, "but that's a misnomer." He argued that not only the Jamaican upper class understand and/or speak standard English.
Interestingly, Heron revealed that he started writing as a way to get something to act in. He noted that when he attempted to get a role in the early 1990s there were none there for him. "The phone wasn't exactly ringing off the hook," he said nonchalantly. Ironically, though, he had scripted the part of Richard for himself, but Trevor Nairne, who directed the piece, cast someone else in the role. "I guess Trevor had other ideas," he said with a smile. Since then, he notes, and that until Love and Marriage, he had not been a part of the original cast of his plays.
