1year ago...crick crack, monkey

this post so long coming it take fasbook throwing up the memory of the happening itself las' year to make me finally say, stop procrastinating and finish write this damn ting.

since saying earlier this year about how hard i finding it to create in these covidous times, i meaning to come back and share the wuk i was so honoured to make las' year at the request of bocaslitfest who, once again, partner me perfectly with a project i was made for; they ask me to write+stage an adaption of merle hodge's crick crack, monkey for the novel's 50th anniversary, as a feature of bocaslitfest2020.

hear nah, when i tell you, project i maaade for...when i encounter the great merle hodge at a bocaslitfest showing some years ago was one of the only times i ever fangirl in life, and the only time of the 3 that was worth it; i get to tell her that her crick crack, monkey move me so much is the 1ting i ever t'ief in my life: an ex lend me when i said it on my list forever but i never get hands on a copy, and after reading i couldn' bear to part with the damn book. after meeting+telling merle hodge sheself i finally return the book and get my own copy which, when bocas ask me to do this project, i discover i had clearly lend somebody who had the same experience i did. and i cyah even be vex, the book so damn brilliant.

so i was facking terrified because, to not do this book justice woulda not just embarrass+depress me, but break me. failure was not an option. so i was proper scared, but then once i start digging up in the novel again to figure out how much of it i could transpose directly to stage because it so gorgeously written you couldn' do better than to just put merle words straight onstage to walk+run for theyself, even though going in i had zero idea how i was going+do it, as soon as i start doing the ting, the only parts of the process i eh love was not getting to include everyting, having to rehearse actors online insteada in person, and only getting 1take to flim for broadcast. and not only was i happy with what we were able to do in spite of the final reading on flim being far from perfect (final dress, though, was fire!) and bocas happy, but the merle hodge (who was so lovely+helpful when i contact her for some in-process clarifications) was happy. i feel so good when she say that i feel like i coulda dead right there with a smile.

if you wanna see what my fantastic actors manage to pull off while sweating their poor asses off in trini afternoon hot sun...

walk good.