The Tribune

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

Tribune Features Writer

jgibson@tribunemedia.net

THE obsession with cosmetic breast surgery, the reconstruction process post-cancer as well as the taboo surrounding breast cancer in men are all topics addressed in a new play aptly titled “Boobies”.

Last week, the Bahamas Artist Movement (BAM) hosted Los Angeles playwright Mystie Galloway, who will debut the stage play in Nassau later this year. Ms Galloway flew to the Bahamas to facilitate the first reading of the play at the New Providence Community Centre.

According to BAM, it was the staggering statistics of breast cancer cases in the Bahamas that really moved Ms Galloway to debut this play here, in an effort to bring more awareness and funding to the cause.

The revealing drama injected with humour hopes to stimulate conversation on every aspect of the breasts. “Boobies” aims to take audience members on an educational and emotional journey as it follows the lives of four women, one man, and their battle with the disease and their survival.

Spearheaded by Rowena Poitier, BAM is an experimental theatre company that offers professional training for passionate artists.

“This year, BAM has expanded the educational programme to writers,” she told Tribune Woman. “Our first writer in residence is American playwright Mystie Galloway from Los Angeles, California. In response to the epidemic of breast cancer both locally and globally, Ms Galloway was moved to create the original play ‘Boobies’ addressing breast cancer in both men and women. Learning that breast cancer was the second leading cause of death for women in the world, Ms Galloway was moved to debut this play in the Bahamas.”

BAM provides performing and showcase opportunities using works that encourage exploration and critique of social issues that engage audiences in an exchange of ideas and open discussion. According to Ms Poitier, the movement seeks to continuously ignite a celebration of the arts in the Bahamas, establishing a nationally and internationally recognised hub of entertainment.

“In 2013, I returned to the Bahamas to create the Bahamas Artist Movement. BAM is a creative venture focused on developing the performance arts and entertainment industry in the Bahamas. Since 2013 we have been successful in creating a Performing Arts School, partnering with Lisa McCartney and the Windsor Preparatory School. We have also produced several successful productions, most notably the international sensation ‘The Vagina Monologues’. BAM was the first to bring this production to the Bahamas, enjoying two years of sold out shows for each performance,” she said.