#Raymond Choo Kong productions

[sexypinkon]

~Sexypink~ Remembering Raymond Choo Kong on the anniversary of his murder one year ago.

[marklyndersay]

Renee Castle photographed in the early 1990’s for the production of Raymond Choo Kong’s production of Murder Anyone.⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣Renee Castle is probably better known in Trinidad and Tobago today for her role as Mary Magdalene in a filmed stage production of Time Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar, first broadcast in 2001 a part of the Great Performances series of television broadcasts.⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣The filmed episode was soon marketed as a successful DVD.⁣ ⁣But long before that, she had honed her skills as a singer and performer in stage productions in Port-of-Spain. ⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣By the early 1990’s Castle was not only appearing in productions by Raymond Choo Kong, she was working hands on in the management of The Space Theatre he had founded at Bretton Hall.⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣She went on to a role in the popular local soap opera Westwood Park and currently has a recurring role in the UK television series Doctors.⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣Castle has also worked on the series No Easy Days and East Enders.⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣She has also made uncredited appearances in Justice League and Kingsman - The Golden Circle.⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣#archive #lyndersaydigital #trinidad #actress #theatre #performance #stage #acting #trinidadandtobago #portrait #thebomb #filmphotography #photography ⁣ ⁣#thespacetheatre #thelyndersayarchive https://www.instagram.com/p/B6ghonUppcV/?igshid=6u9b147u422h

[fischamoth]

NEW PLAY FESTIVAL 2016

New Play Fest brings Miracle to TTW stage

Wesley Gibbings Published: Monday, November 7, 2016

Ronald John —Veteran playwright, Ronald John, holds court with the audience together with director, Brendon O'Brien (seated next to him) and the young cast—Jovon Browne and Kala Neehall with artistic director Tony Hall at the back.

The tragic story of murdered businesswoman, Vindra Naipaul-Coleman reached a Trinidad Theatre Workshop (TTW) stage last weekend, courtesy the New Play Festival.

The Festival was presented by the Playwrights Workshop with support from the National Drama Association of T&T.

It was no surprise to see the work of someone like veteran dramatist, Ronald John making the list of three plays selected for a festival of this kind, though the other offerings came from relative newcomers—Sonja Dumas with Angels Live in Tunapuna and Safa Niamat-Ali presenting her play, Hell.

John’s Miracle was a standout contribution to the Festival.

After staging of the play, John told a full house on October 31 that he had been captivated by the story of the yet unresolved 2006 kidnapping and killing of the supermarket CEO and he wanted to change the perspective of the tragic episode.

The storyline often veers far away from the circumstances described through evidence at the now infamous trial that led to the freeing of all the suspects. SPOILER: In John’s account, the kidnap victim, Joanna (played by Kala Neehall), emerges alive in the end.

The kidnappers maintain phone contact with Joanna’s seemingly unfazed millionaire husband, Raj (played by Jarod Baptiste). Elvis, played by the highly-competent Jovon Browne and his nervy, bungling accomplice, Joe (Kwasi Shade) try to come to terms with the fact that their kidnap for ransom plot seems set to fall apart.

Raj’s surprising indifference and Joanna’s defiance were not what the two criminals had expected. In fact, Joanna’s cunning leads to a surprising end. John said he wanted a story in which the woman triumphs.

At some points, however, John’s plot descends into religious silliness, resurrection and all, and young director Brendon O’Brien would probably not have enjoyed interpreting some of the overly preachy parts. Neehall’s excellent portrayal of the role could have fallen apart at these points, but she sustains a high level of energy and succeeds in generating the required empathy in the end.

And, yes, there is a pretty torrid rape scene. O’Brien confessed to a level of discomfort but appeared to want to stick to the intended effect of shock and horror.

All the while, news-reporter, Cassandra (Robyn Beckles), assists in filling vacuums in the storyline through ‘live’ television interviews with Raj. Here, among other things, John reflects on the quality of media reportage of the story. Cassandra’s line of questioning is intrusive and sometimes calls for irrelevant, salacious detail. Raj is portrayed as both media victim and manipulative with facts surrounding the circumstances of Joanna’s disappearance.

Dramaturge/mentor for the production was Wendell Manwarren presiding over a team of fantastically talented young thespians. Shade’s intriguing interpretation of the hoodlum, Joe, was memorable together with Neehall’s convincing portrayal of the tragic character she played while Browne, a UWI product, was good as usual.

Stage manager, Regina Seaburn, made good use of the troublesome TTW space and artistic director, Tony Hall competently steered the post-presentation dialogue. 

Other theatre stalwarts such as Albert Laveau, Michael Cherrie, Raymond Choo Kong and Christine Johnson were at hand to keep a close eye on proceedings.

The audience could have been excused for wanting more.

https://m.guardian.co.tt/lifestyle/2016-11-07/new-play-fest-brings-miracle-ttw-stage

[sexypinkon]

OMG Interview Raymond Choo Kong

From the Facebook page of Dominic Kalipersad

Raymond Choo Kong was an award winning producer, director, and actor in Trinidad and Tobago theatre for some 40 years.

He staged many plays through his theatre production company Raymond Choo Kong Productions, and received18 Cacique Awards, making him the holder of the most Cacique Awards.

He directed a number of musicals such as ‘The Sound of Music’, ‘The King and I’, and ‘Mahalia: A Gospel Musical’, for First Instinct and JCS Entertainment.

Choo Kong also worked on projects in The Prime Minister's Best Village Trophy Competition, Trinidad Theatre Workshop with Dereck Walcott, films, commercials, and Carnival band launches etc.

He wrapped up his last pro­duc­tion, Choose Your Part­ner Wise­ly, at the end of June at Cipri­ani Labour Col­lege.

His com­pa­ny was due to hold a work­shop in San Fernando this week­end.

Choo Kong was found dead at his home in Arima this afternoon.

According to media reports, the body bore gunshot wounds.

[marklyndersay]

Raymond Choo Kong did that rarest of things in local theatre, he built a career in an environment that might be charitably described as hostile.  I was there when he first broke into song playing King Dumb, a largely mute part in his first major role in Helen Camps' production of Cinderama.  I was there when he put down his best performance ever, I think, in the Baggasse Company production of M.Butterfly.  It was in that show that I did him an injustice, angrily cutting up his lobby photo and giving it to someone else to hand to him after the final performance. It was a classic example of drinking tea for someone else's fever, albeit a brew for someone I was sleeping with at the time, and it was pretty damn cowardly to boot.  After that, my distance from the theater widened.  Years later, after he founded The Space at Bretton Hall, Anthony Seyjagat persuaded me to meet with him about photographing productions he was planning for the stage there.  I'd do a few, but my heart really wasn't in it and the shows, while crowd pleasing, weren't terribly interesting to me. The last thing I'd work on was a mime show Seyjagat staged with Penelope Spencer. Soon after, the young actor committed suicide. I was really done after that. At the seven days for Anthony, I mentioned how hard he had worked to pull me back into theatre. Raymond reached out and generously hugged me, but that was that for me and local theatre productions. I did a few shows for him, then I bowed out permanently. Raymond made theatre work for him by staging the localized comedies that became his hallmark and created a working space for two generations of local theatre professionals.  His ambition was to make theatre work in Trinidad and Tobago. He was found murdered at his home address on July 15, 2019 just weeks before his 70th birthday. The photos: With cigar, Ding Dong Dead, my last sitting with him, circa 1993. With shades, Cinderama, his first major stage appearance. With Maurice Brash in M Butterfly, 1989. #archive #lyndersaydigital  #trinidad #actor #writer #theatre #thespace #trinidadandtobago #filmphotography photography #stage #comedy #performance #th (at Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz_HTVwpkgI/?igshid=ctwrjdg84b43