On March 22, Yvonne Brewster Jones, co founder of the now defunct Barn Theatre launched her book “Vaulting Ambition” based on the history of the theatre.

Renown playwright Basil Dawkins got the proceedings started by lamenting that where the Barn Theatre stood was now a car park. He went down memory lane to the year 1976 when he wrote the play “Flatmate” which won a bronze medal in the JCDC Independence festival of arts.   He tried to raise money to stage it and was rejected many times.  Eventually, he borrowed the money from his credit union and his father-in-law.  Initially,  Barn Theatre rejected him but eventually allowed him to stage his play which gave his career a start and he now has now staged 30 plays.

Carmen Tipling was the next presenter.  She said that getting into theatre was totally unplanned.  She wanted to be a journalist and began her career at The Gleaner.  She entered the JCDC arts festival.  She was the first female playwright to have a play staged at the Barn.  She discovered it when she lived on the same road.  Ms Tipling ended by saying that Barn Theatre had played a definitive in the development of theatre despite its limitations.

It was the turn of the author Yvonne Jones Brewster to speak. She said the book took 4 years to write and had wanted to launch the book in January but the courier company mislaid the books.  She said that the Barn Theatre started in the garage when her father told herself and her fellow thespians to rehearse in the garage instead of the verandah which they were using.She spoke about the chapter dedicated to her friend and Barn co founder Trevor Rhone whose career was made by the Barn.  She also paid tribute to actress Grace McGhie who was in attendance.

Munair Zacca, film and stage actor talked about his interest in acting which started from his days at Jamaica College where he acted in school productions.  He recalled meeting with Yvonne Jones Brewster and Trevor Rhone to form the group “Theatre 77” which later became “Barn Theatre 77”.

Retired professor and poet Eddie Baugh said that played a role in a Barn Theatre production “Its not my fault”. He noted that it got a mention in January by the Gleaner in its flashback column having been produced 50 years ago.  He also lamented the fact that Barn Theatre was no longer in existence.

The writer ended the evening with the quote “Think of the leap, do not think of the fall”.