Sunshine Theatre Company, which prides itself on preserving Anguilla’s oral tradition by staging a number of dramatic presentations ever so often, held its Fifteenth Annual Arts and Culture Awards Banquet at the Anguilla Great House on Saturday, February 8.
There were four awards which went to: former cricketer and now entertainer, Omari Banks; Ms Farrah Banks, a member of Sunshine Theatre Company since 1991 and the Director of Information and Broadcasting (Radio Anguilla); 10-year-old Aysha Carty, a Junior Tennis Champion who made her stage debut with Sunshine Theatre in 2013; and Mr Albert Hughes, the retired Elected Representative and former Minister and Parliamentary Secretary from West End.
The keynote address was delivered by Ms Kathy Fransisco, an annual US visitor to Anguilla for the past twenty-two years, founder of Pinnacle Health Group and a noted speaker at several international symposiums.
This is the second time that Ms Banks has been awarded for her performance with Sunshine Theatre. In her response she took the opportunity to express pleasure in being a member of the theatre and was grateful to Felix and Mona Fleming, her family and fellow actors, for their continued encouragement and support.
In a note printed in the brochure for the event, Mrs Fleming, President of Sunshine Theatre Company, said there was much satisfaction in observing the development of the talents of young people, and that their energy and passion helped to inspire her and her husband in their theatrical work.
Mr Fleming, who is the Director of the performances and caste, observed that theatre was not a casual activity. He stressed that the intensity of the experience was made possible only by the dedication and commitment of theatre artistes to collaborate fully and responsibly with each other.
