ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE
KWASIE BOYCE, FOUNDER OF DUNDALK’S M.A.D YOUTH THEATRE, TALKS TO MARGARET RODDY ABOUT LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE IMPORTANCE OF ACTIVISM
When Kwasie Boyce, founder of Dundalk’s M.A.D Youth Theatre moved to Ireland, he never imagined that he would end up speaking at a Black Lives Matters rally in the town centre. But last month, as the shockwaves caused by the killing of George Floyd while in police custody swept around the world, he found himself making a powerful speech at the rally in the Market Square.
The 39 year old father of four says that he hadn’t planned on going to the rally, which was organised by local teens over social media.
‘I wasn’t going to go. I know how emotional these things are but I kept meeting people on the street who said I had to go. I went and listened to all the young speakers and I stood up and spoke from my heart.’
As he addressed the crowd, Kwasie admitted that he was ‘shaking’ with emotion as he recalled incidents in his life when he faced racism and police violence.
‘I spoke of several experiences I had and how exhausting it is to have the same things happen to you again and again.’
Kwasie first experienced the toxicity of racism when he moved from Trinidad to New York with his family in the 1990s. It was, he recalls, a big culture shock moving from the islands to New York.
‘When I was about 14 my family moved to New York. At first we lived in Harlem which was quite scary for a boy coming from the islands, particularly in the ‘90s, which was a crazy time. We then moved to Spanish Harlem which felt like home. It was a unique environment and you had to pick up Spanish if you wanted to be able to buy anything in the shops.’
He loved living in Spanish Harlem. ‘I loved the culture, the buzz on the streets, and I got involved in youth theatre.’
His involvement with political activism began in High School.
‘Some of our substitute teachers were very passionate about human rights and I went along with them to a lot of protests. I volunteered with a lot of organisations and took part in protests long before Black Lives Matters.’
‘Growing up in the Caribbean, I had never experienced racism until I moved to America, he says but he was to racism on a daily basis while living in New York.
‘ Those were crazy times,’ he says, recalling how the Black community had been shocked by the killing of Amadou Diallo, a 23-year-old Guinean immigrant, in the Bronx in February 1999 by four police officers who fired 41 shots into his body.
‘ That really shook up the community in New York.’
He says that on a daily basis he was stopped by police and asked for his I.D. and to account for his movements.
‘ There was a constant barrage of harassment. It was exhausting.’
Kwasie also suffered from abuse by the police while taking part in political protests. He recalls having being shot at with rubber bullets when protesting following the election of Ronald Reagan.
‘ The police then corralled us all like animals and we were taken on buses and driven to the city limits and dumped out on the street.’
He was also tear gassed while attending a protest at a G8 summit in New York.
‘It never stopped me,’ he declares, adding with a note of anger and despair that protesters are still having to sound the same message.
‘ Twenty years down the road, it’s repetitive. Nothing has changed.’
‘Activism has always been a part of my theatre training,’ he says. ‘It started when I became a member of Harlem’s Oscar and Grammy nominated youth group IMPACT Repertory Theatre at 17 years old. Here I learned theatre skills and he importance of community through service and leadership. I was surrounded by talented and caring people and especially looked up to Jamal Joseph, the founder of Impact, as a big brother This is someone I emulated, his vision and passion for young people helped me become the person I am today.’
Joseph was a member of the Black Panther Party and godfather to rapper Tupac Shaker.
Kwaise was well and truly bitten by the theatre bug and pursed it relentlessly, attending Borough of Manhattan Community College to study Acting under the guidance of Prof Diane Dowling during the summer. He became part of the eclectic cast of Theatre For the New City Street, taking part in theatre performances and later some off off Broadway shows. ‘I took intensive acting courses in method acting with The Negro Ensemble Company where I had the pleasure to work with some exceptional acting coaches like the late O.L Duke.’
‘It’s a really interesting theatre company which focuses on black actors,’ he explains. ‘I did lot of street theatre and that gave me the guts to be an actor. I was in a lot of great productions with them.’
But Kwasie wasn’t just learning stage craft, he was also learning the importance of theatre in providing a voice for the community. ‘ The whole experience was very political, about saying something about representing the community, about the involvement of people. I took a lot of that and brought it with me when I moved to Ireland about sixteen years ago.’
Kwasie’s eldest daughter Clodagh was born in Harlem Hospital and when her Mum, whom he met at college, brought her back to Ireland, he followed. Now Clodagh herself is getting ready to go to college.
He has since had three other children, Katie, Ethan and William with his wife Kerri Anne, whom he met in Dundalk.
‘I stepped away from theatre for a long time to focus on being a Dad,’ he recalls. ‘I did a lot of jobs, all sorts of things, and then the recession hit. It was a massive financial blow but also a mental health blow.’
Kwasie had been working as manager in JBB Sports but when the company closed, he decided to go back to what he loved best.
‘I decided to do something I loved, working with young people, working in the community and doing theatre.’
He got involved in the local amateur drama scene, joining Dundalk Musical Society. ‘I thoroughly enjoyed that.’
‘I then decided I wanted to play a more active role in the community and trained as a drama facilitator.’
Although he was an experienced performer and had studied acting at college, he explains that he needed the skills and techniques to teach properly and to bring out the best potential in others.
‘From there I founded M.A.D Youth Theatre in 2011 and I asked Geraldine Ball and Paul McLoughlin who were in the
Musical Society to help me.’
Kwasie is passionate about the role which youth theatre can play in helping young people to develop their self-confidence and social awareness.
‘Youth theatre is not just somewhere that young people can come and act the fool for two hours. It’s much more than going on stage, it’s about social development and personal development and giving young people a voice and listening to that voice.’
He says that a lot of their productions have been devised pieces about social issues which affect young people. ‘ This is what sets us apart from other groups and stage schools.’
M.A.D, have staged performanceses which tackle issues like bullying, consent, and climate change. They are involved with the Irish Association of Youth Theatre and have travelled to Prague three times and on each occasion came home with awards. Now based in their own venue off Earl Street, they also present mini-drama festivals.
Kwasie has also been involved with the Táin March from its beginnings. ‘I find Irish mythology and history fascinating and as soon as I got the opportunity to get involved in the community I joined up.’
He has been instrumental in getting M.A.D Youth Theatre involved in the Táin March, which recreates the epic journey which Queen Meabh’s army took from Roscommon across the country to Cooley. They have staged performances in towns along the route as well as going into schools to teach them the story of An Táin.
He has been keeping in touch with the members of M.A.D youth theatre, with twice monthly Zoom meetings. He feels that it is important to check-in with the young people during the lockdown.
Alongside his commitment to M.A.D, Kwasie works as an creative associate in St Brigid’s School and a Coordinator in Dundalk Youth Centre for The Peace IV Anticlockwise programme.
‘I’m living here longer than Trinidad , longer than New York. I’m proud to call Ireland my home.’
He says that when he moved here he thought he had left racism behind him, that it would be different.
‘Here it’s softer,’ he says. ‘ In the most part Irish people are great. I love living here and most Irish people are very considerate.’
However, when he worked security as a doorman, he says received his fair share of ‘Why don’t you go back home?’
’Once while walking home at night, he even had a fire cracker thrown at him.
‘ The list goes on, but I never dwell on it. I know I have a responsibility in my job and as a member of the community to educate and effect change by my personal interactions. Going up and challenging people is counter-productive. If you show them who you are as a person, it might help change their minds and I will continue to do that. I will continue to stand up for people, I will always stand up for others.’