Patrick Brown, a well-known playwright, is urging aspiring theater artists to persevere in the face of obstacles. His most recent accomplishment was being awarded the Musgrave Medal (bronze), which occurred in November after he was given the Order of Distinction in October.
"In all honesty, this is challenging. Even if the statistics are minor, I would encourage everyone to go for their goals. Who can I convince that they can't follow their aspirations and succeed in doing so? Focus on quality since that is what will matter. Of all, defining excellence is subjective since for some, it may imply Shakespeare. You must be aware of the products that will appeal to the Jamaican market. Without an audience, theater is not theater. You must be aware of your target audience and what will appeal to them "in Brown's opinion.
The official ceremony was held on November 22, at Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts at University of the West Indies' Mona campus. Unfortunately Brown was unable to attend.
The holder of a Bachelor's degree in engineering from the University of the West Indies' St Augustine campus in Trinidad and Tobago, the Central Kingston native decided to pursue what he truly loved shortly after graduating from Kingston College in 1976.
"I went to KC and a Spanish teacher took four of us to The Ward Theatre and that was my first exposure to theatre and it stuck with me. I studied in Trinidad and I was designated as entertainment manager for my hall. That year, I wrote a skit for the hall concert and once I graduated I expanded that skit into a two-hour play. It was called Cornflakes and it was directed by Keith Noel," he recalled.
Puppy Love, Mo, Joe, and Flo, Right Girl, Wrong Address, and Straight Jacket are a few of Brown's well-known pieces.
The Musgrave Medal, according to Brown, was the farthest thing from his thoughts.
"I don't normally think about stuff like that, I just enjoy my craft. It's a symbol of appreciation, but I get that from my audience. I'm not thinking about that kinda thing from anyone. I think about being better than the last time and leaving my audience wanting more," he said.
Brown believes that after the new coronavirus, Jamaican theater is likely to get back on track.
"We had a tiny thing happening before Covid. In relation to the history of theater, we are rather young. My specialty is creating what is known as Jamaican theater "Black stated.
Lenford Salmon, a cultural engineer, Diana McCaulay, an author and environmental activist, and Joy Spence, a chemist and master mixer, won the Musgrave Medal in gold. Dr. Eric Garraway, an entomologist and speaker, and Geoffrey Philip, a writer, won the Musgrave Medal in silver. Author and professor Dr. Safiya Sinclair and biologist Dr. Susan Koenig were also awarded bronze medals.
Scholar of Rhodes The 2022 recipient of the youth medal for leadership and activism is David Salmon. He also couldn't attend.