The Tribune

By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIAN Entrepreneur Moya Thompson is taking her talents to new heights this year. Under her production company C2it productions, Moya’s work is now hitting the local screens. Next week Tuesday, Cable 12 will debut Moya’s first scripted comedy series, beginning at 8pm. The comedy series “It Takes A Village” was produced, written and directed by Moya. The series, which is intended to run for ten weeks, centres around a three-generational Bahamian family, and takes a comedic, yet realistic look at many situations that occur in any family/community all over the world.

“The show got its name from the concept of family and community (the village), serving as partners in rearing children, which is a significant part of who we are as Bahamians. The intent of the series is to show realistic portrayals of what it is like to live in the Bahamas, while also providing positive, entertaining and educational programming for Bahamians themselves,” said Moya.

“It Takes A Village” will centre on the interactions of the Deveaux family as they work, play, raise children together and in some cases, try to outsmart one other. By watching the show, viewers will learn that fights and arguments are inevitable, but as with all families “blood is thicker than water” and there is always a lesson to learn.

The series also highlights five adult children, ranging in age from early 20’s to late 30’s. The eldest son Maurice Jr and his environmentalist, vegan wife Vera, social worker Melanie and her husband Bradley Lockhart, housewife Melissa and her investment banker husband Kevin Roberts, university graduate and doctor of psychology Maya and youngest son Marco, whose womanizing antics allow for social commentary and humour.

“Melissa, Melanie and Marco combined, have six children whose ages range from 6 to 16 years. At the helm of this family is their widowed mother, Clothilda Deveaux whose anecdotes and proverbs keep her family grounded in old school traditions. Due to its incredible cast composition, seen in the wide variety of ages and personalities represented, the show touches on quite a number of family and community dynamics,” said Moya.

Outside of the central family, the show features a food store, a hair salon, school classrooms, the beach as well as a variety of homes and yards, said Moya. She said highlighting locations were a big thing for her as the director, because it is important when a person considers the way in which the Bahamas and Bahamians are viewed by foreigners.

“We are usually viewed as people who live in huts and thatched houses and wear grass skirts, but like everywhere else in the world we have poor people and rich people, light skinned people, white people, black people. We have loud ghetto people and we have quiet refined people. At the end of the day we are people; we have families and we live in a community and it is our community that makes us who we are,” said Moya.

“The core characters have varying philosophies on handling conflict, rearing children, and eating. One character may opt for direct, heavy-handed parenting, another favours discussing things with the children and reasoning with them. One sibling will attack a problem head on, while another character may ignore it altogether,” she said.

Moya said many representatives from Bahamian society are seen in the show, including the junglist, the baby mama, college graduates, business owners, diligent high school students and even a mentally unstable character, or two, depending on what people view as normal in their village.

“Staple Bahamian activities such as sheep tongue preparation, grocery shopping and domino games are also featured. It’s all there. I believe many people in society will see themselves in at least one of the characters. And as opposed to many current shows and movies which specifically feature adults, the show has a large cast of children and teens,” said Moya.

During filmmaking, Moya said the jokes created themselves as the cast was made up of a variety of funny and talented Bahamians. Main actors include Patrice Francis as the matriarch Clothilda “Mama” Deveaux, alongside Sania Johnson, Selina Archer, Dion Farquharson, Tafadzwa Holden and Patrick Deveaux, who play her children. Giles Wells and Stephan Edgecombe play the sons-in-law in Mama Deveaux’s kingdom. The grandchildren include teenagers Henrico Walkine and Eryn Bellot and Selyna Bellot, Riya Miller, Kai Jones and Leah Hunt.

The series also features appearances from a variety of guest actors who play characters from the village. Episodes of the show, which has been in production for almost two years, were shot by Valentino Lloyd of Capture Media, Jennie Cyril of Zoeygirl Films and Moya Thompson herself. The show is being sponsored by Jumper Brothers, Caribbean Landscaping Solutions and Fireworks Unlimited.