By Gina Bethel
Copyright znsbahamas
The Freeport Players’ Guild is proud to announce the opening of its 2025/26 theatre season with Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, an award- winning play by Trinidadian playwright Errol John. The production will be staged at the Regency Theatre on September 26th and 27th, with a special matinee on September 28th.
Celebrated around the world, Moon on a Rainbow Shawl has been performed at London’s Royal Court Theatre, the National Theatre, and on Broadway. Over the years, it has attracted powerhouse performances from legendary actors such as James Earl Jones, Cicely Tyson, Danny Sapani, and Tahirah Sharif. The play earned Errol John the Observer New Play Award, while Cicely Tyson received a DramaDesk Award for Outstanding Performance for her role in the Broadway revival.
Set in 1950s Trinidad, the drama captures the vibrancy and struggle of post-war life as returning soldiers flood the streets with celebration. At its heart, the story follows a young man determined to escape his dead-end job and pursue new opportunities in England. With themes of poverty, cultural identity, love, and resilience, Moon on a Rainbow Shawl remains as relevant today as when it first premiered.
This Freeport Players’ Guild production is directed by Paulette Russell, former FPG president and accomplished actress, who herself played “Mavis” in the Guild’s 1978 staging of the play directed by Wesley Butler for Grand Bahama Players.
“I am bringing this show back to the theatre as it’s truly a thought-provoking drama,” Russell shares. “The issues of fathering a child out of wedlock and whether to leave one’s island home for better opportunities resonate deeply with Grand Bahama residents today.”
The cast features a dynamic mix of seasoned and emerging local talent, including well-known thespian Remardo “Mardy” Russell, who tread the boards at the tender age of six and went on to play a multitude of roles at the Regency. He is well known for his outlandish characters in many of Gia Pierre’s comedy shows, including winning the prestigious Bahamian Icon Award 2017 for Outstanding Achievement inEntertainment as the Barber in Crazy Love 2.
Russell is also joined by sixteen-year-old, upcoming actress Safina Lightbourne, who plays Esther. Joining well-known local actresses Sade Pinder, as Mavis, Jessica Russell and Trezsa Wallace, who have all had previous theatre experience. Other members of the male cast are Kendrick Blatch as Charlie, Alonzo Morris as Old Mack , with cameos by Evan Williams, Joel Victor and starring Antonio Fowler in thelead role.
Fowler is a returning Grand Bahamian actor with international stage credits, who will take on the role of Ephraim—famously played by James Earl Jones and Earl Hyman in the original New York and London productions.
“Each actor has embodied the character and the vision I had in mind,” said Director Russell. “You can expect a moving, visually rich production that highlights the struggle between dreams of escape and the pull of cultural roots.” The Guild is reminding everyone to Save the Date: for the show scheduled for three shows, Friday the 26th and Saturday the 27th at 8pm showings with a matinee on the 28th at 4pm. Ticket will be avaible at the venue, at the Seventeen Shop in down town Freeport and those looking to purchaseon line you can find ticket info on social media pages.
