Cayman Drama Society is staging ‘The Ancestors’ at Prospect Playhouse in an eight-night run, beginning 13 May.
The play shines a light on the real voices of Black revolutionaries: a clique of Caribbean Maroon warrior women, a general of Haiti and his right-hand man, an ex-enslaved couple reclaiming their land, a group of Black French Caribbean soldiers held captive in Portchester and their wives travelling across the Atlantic to be reunited with them.
“CDS is thrilled to be bringing this play to the stage and showcasing an important piece of work by Lakesha Arie-Angelo,” Kirsty O’Sullivan told the Cayman Compass.
“The key themes include the strength people have in spite of the adversities they face, the power of women, and that even with the world becoming smaller, the challenges humans face remain the same as history repeats itself.”
The approximately one-hour and 45-minute production, which includes intermission, features a “significant number” of new cast and crew members, “some of whom have never acted before and have risen to the challenge wonderfully,” O’Sullivan said.
She added, “We also have some new crew members who are in tech positions that they have trained up to do specifically for this production. It is always exciting when we have fresh blood to work with.”
Reflecting on the difficult historical issues highlighted in the production, O’Sullivan said, “We still have a lot of work to do and must listen to the voices of the future as well as learn from our shared history.”
The production contains a content warning about “violence, murder, sexual innuendo [and] the symbolic death of a baby”. Parental discretion is advised.
Shows run 15-17 May, 22-24 May, and 29-30 May. Show times are 7:30pm with doors opening an hour prior. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students. For tickets and more information, visit www.cds.ky.
