Toronto enjoys Tobago Drama Guild's Blood Money play

The Tobago Drama Guild's hard-hitting play Blood Money was well received by audiences in Canada on July 27 and 28.

Hosted at the Consulate General of Trinidad and Tobago, in Toronto, the play attracted capacity crowds on both nights.

Blood Money is Cherryll Birchwood Uzoruo’s latest offering to the theatre world. It is a riveting tale about ill-gotten gains and its karmic impact within a small, inter-connected community. Imaginatively directed by THABITI, the multi-talented cast managed creditably all the dramatic twists and turns in a storyline that was punctuated by instantly infectious music, folklore-inspired song and dance and a speech band prologue.

“It was an awesome experience, and that is quite a proverbial understatement,” said playwright Cherryll Birchwood Uzoruo. “Most of the cast and crew are making their debut on a Canadian stage. This was always a dream of my husband, THABITI, and I bought into the idea of a cultural exchange between the motherland, Trinidad and Tobago, and the adopted space of many, Canada.

"We appreciate the love, the understanding of the multi-layered complexities of the messaging. Moving from text to presentation before an appreciative audience in Canada has renewed my faith in the worth of the work and its claim as a teaching tool and mirror to society. Thanks to all for the collective sharing and community spirit. My gratitude goes out to Acting Consul General Tracey Ramsubagh-Mannette for the Consulate’s generous support and of course, the cast and crew of both spaces, without whom the work could not have been brought to life.”

Among the actors and actresses in the play were Rochelle Frank, Andell Franklyn, Myrtle George, Simone Gordon, Myranda Murray, Jelani Williams, Antonio Franklyn, Jamal Hamilton, Nixon Rougier and Akquille Simmons.