BY KRISTA HENRY, Staff Reporter
Comedians, from the Strikers Drama Group, from left: Camili Barrett, Garvin Thompson, Leighton Smith and Dinsdale Dariel perform a skit at the Comedy Search put on by The Star and Artiste of the Month Ity and Fancy Cat. - ANTHONY MINOTT
"STRIKERS DRAMA GROUP" stole the spotlight at THE STAR'S Comedy Competition. The group travelled from St. Elizabeth to Kingston, making the competition just in time, after being unable to locate the Gleaner Company building. Despite the long journey they were well prepared with props and skit, leaving the crowd wanting more.
The act includes experienced entertainers from the Crowland Police Youth Club in St. Elizabeth. Members include: Leighton Smith, Camilo Barrett, Garvin Thompson, Dinsdale Dariel and Geovarnie Foote. They have performed at fund-raisers, churches, stage shows and anywhere laughs are required, especially in St. Elizabeth.
Being a self-proclaimed Christian group, they aim to as Leighton claims: "motivate young people, we try to teach the youth not to be idle, there are ways to occupy themselves". The group affirms that they seek to give jokes but nothing too slack.
According to Camilo, "it is the love of drama that keeps us together". Young Geovarne, a student of Munro College, emphasises the ways in which drama and performing comedy has changed his life. He states: "drama has become a part of school life, when we have courses such as history and literature, I become more willing to orally present in class, my school work has improved". For the group drama and comedy are a way of life and a means of achieving success.
They hope the search will bring them success, for the road of comedy has been a long journey. Dinsdale elaborates that: "we really need the break, when we are in the country we can be seen in every church, back and forth. We very rarely go outside of St. Elizabeth, other than a few shows in Hanover and Westmoreland." The group specialises in skits which they can produce at any moment.
The audience were not the only ones dazzled by the group's performance as judge Pretty Boy Floyd proclaimed: "their presentation was one of the best today. Its humorous with lines that people will laugh at". He also gave them advice for next week's eliminations, saying that they need to "get things together and work on it, when you take the stage, act like you have been doing it for a long time, but enjoy yourself. When you enjoy yourself, others will enjoy it too."
The group is very enthused about their success at the preliminary round, with Leighton proclaiming: "we are getting ready to scream, we are so overwhelmed".
Do
you have a problem? Is something bothering
you? Write to 
