The Tribune

By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

DURING the long days and nights of casting and preparing for the premiere of “Sarah’s Wedding”, the producers and writers of the romantic comedy play always imagined it would be a great success, but reality surpassed even their wildest dreams last weekend.

Crowds of Bahamians flocked to the Recency Theatre in Grand Bahama to enjoy the laughs, drama and scandal of “Sarah’s Wedding”, making it a sold-out show for two nights.

To say the play was a success, may very well be an understatement, said Alfred Anderson, producer of the show.

From the moment patrons entered the lobby, Mr Anderson said it was evident that people were not about to see their average Bahamian play.

He said the Young Adults Regency Drama (YARD) group worked extremely hard to prove to the audience and themselves that they have the ability to put on an awesome show.

The YARD group is a body under the Freeport Players’ Guild and is the brainchild of President Liselle Harris.

For Kerel Pinder, writer and director of “Sarah’s Wedding”, the entire show was like an out of body experience.

“I honestly thought that ‘Sarah’s Wedding’ was a good play and I just really wanted a great crowd to come and support. However, I did not expect two out of three sold-out shows. I just wanted to write a play that was real and authentic to my experience as a Bahamian woman as well as the story of many others, and I think as a result people were really able to connect to the characters,” she said.

Ms Pinder said ‘Sarah’s Wedding’ tells the story of four childhood friends who reunite for a wedding weekend. However, old rivalries, secrets and betrayal quickly rear their heads and threaten to ruin Sarah’s beautiful celebration. If you ever had a friendship that stood the test of time or ever found yourself in a really messy situation, Ms Pinder said you will definitely enjoy the production.

“I wrote ‘Sarah’s Wedding’ during a very painful time in my life; a time when I had to learn to grow up and leave certain childish behaviours and insecurities behind; a time when I had to learn that it was OK to be alone and let God work on me. God guided me through that process and as a result ‘Sarah’s Wedding’ was birthed. I wanted to deliver the message that captured the importance of growth and to show that no matter how messy your life gets, you’re still a character worth rooting for,” she said.

Ms Pinder said what also made the audience fall in love with the show was the great acting, with a cast filled with vibrant, young and talented actors; an all Bahamian cast who gave audiences a real life story.

“Sarah’s Wedding’s” cast included leads Zia Lewis as Sarah, Autumn Joy-Dames as Kharin, Grier Munroe playing Shavon and Erica Weir as Summer. Other cast members were Jonathan Miller, Imani Roberts, Antonio Guarro, Neena Laing, Rebecca Harris, Evan Williams, Antonio Smith, Ramon Webb, Devin Pinder, Angel Russell, Gaill Woon, Reginald Simmons, Jill Cooper, Noella Anderson, Justin Collins, Luke Ignace, Ahamad Lowe, Remardo Russell, Laura Miller, Kyle Edwards, Ruth Cadet, Anton Shepherd, Baldwin and Megan Stuart.

“Those actors read the story and completely made the roles their own. Every morning after the show I woke up to countless accolades on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter from persons who attended and fell in love with ‘Sarah’s Wedding’,” Ms Pinder said.

“I was just humbled by the overwhelming acceptance of the show.”

Last summer, when she spent every day in her sister’s North Carolina apartment, the story of “Sarah’s Wedding” came to her.

At that time, Ms Pinder said she could have never imagined the overwhelming response her work would garner.

“Everything was awesome. My mentor and co-director Gloria McGlone pulled out of those actors everything they had in them. My producer Alfred Anderson made sure there was not a soul in Grand Bahama that did not know about ‘Sarah’s Wedding’. The stage managers, costume designers, sound engineers, light technicians, set builders and crew of the Freeport Player’s Guild YARD group saw the vision and did an amazing job to make it happen. One of the things that set the tone from the very beginning, was the goal we made to work every day to continue to build a natural bond with each other, and at the end of the day we were no longer just cast mates, we really became a family,” said Ms Pinder.

The sky is definitely the limit for the future of “Sarah’s Wedding”, said Ms Pinder, as she is very open to trusting God’s will for where this production can go.

“I know this cast can definitely take this production to all of those places and more, so as I told the various interested persons, I will pray for God’s direction and where ever He leads I will go. I definitely do think ‘Sarah’s Wedding’ has a message not only for the Bahamas, but a message that world needs to hear,” she said.