My classmates and I experienced the phenomenal production “Riding Horse” written by Colville

N. Young, Adapted and Directed by Jeanelle L. Archer-Chan and Letitia Mike on Wednesday
8th November 2022 from 11:30 am to 12:30pm. Quite a performance given by students at
Naparima Boys College during The Secondary School Drama Association’ Drama Festival 2023.
“Riding Horse” takes the audience on an extravagant experience of yet another one of Brer
Anansi’s plight of mischievous adventures.

When the curtain rises on the set of this dramatic production, the audience is greeted by the
two narrators, Griot (Jhasan Dhaniram) and Jali (Aaron Rampersad) who welcome the audience
to the phenomenon of the tale. The story begins and the narration comes to life as the stage is set
in a village and Brer Anansi (Christopher Seepersad) and Brer Tiger (Roshan Boodoo) create
tension and drama and the plot begins to unfold. We are able to understand Brer Anansi’s aim to
teach Brer Tiger a lesson.

The village now prepares for the dual between Brer Tiger and Brer Anansi and enchants the
audience with a musical experience. Brer Tiger becomes enraged at Brer Anansi and expresses
his anger and outbursts at the village. Until Brer Anansi strikes the deal and Brer Tiger decides to
work for Brer Anansi. This Deal Introduces the captivating song “Go Horsey” which capsulates
the audience throughout the entire production. The play ends on a light, resolved manner where
the village celebrates.

What made this theatrical piece such a riveting experience was the impeccable and believable
performance given by the actors. The cast mastered the ability to effectively sustain their
characters and engage the audience. During most of the production, most actors were audible and
clear throughout their speech. Both , Griot (Jhasan Dhaniram) and Jali (Aaron Rampersad) were
able to display appropriate tempo and vocal quality in expressing the narrative. All actors were
able to create an engaging and exciting experience throughout the musical pieces with one
standing above the rest being “Go Horsey” Moreover, the audience was able to get a sense of
Communal love throughout the village and understood the storyline thoroughly. This production
showed that great teamwork and effort was produced by all members, making it a successful
performance.
 Along with the pleasing performance, a noteworthy mention of praise must be given to
the stage management. The set created an inviting ambience that created mood for the scene. The
lights illuminated gracefully adding to the jungle scenery of the village. The breathtaking scenery
brought the stage alive and set the tone of the performance. The use of the mango tree brought
the stage to life and looked quite detailed. On a slightly negative note, during some notable
scenes the actors audibility did waver and caused the audience to miss key plot points within the
scenes. Specifically, within the scene of Brer Tiger’s rage, the audience struggled to understand
what the actor was saying and consequently created inconsistency throughout the performance. It
would have been laudable if the fellow actors on stage increased their projection which would
therefore led the other actor to notice and improve.

This production left the audience, in absolute gaiety. The actors definitely succeeded in
keeping the audience engaged through their comedic relief from characters and rhythmic song
and dances. The production was even taken to the next level as the audience was given paper
horses to use during the curtain call to dance with. This theatrical piece not only caused us to
gain more appreciation for folktale characters like Anansi and but share it with others.