Look out for Akeem
For local actor and theatre advocate Akeem Mignott, receiving the Prime Minister’s Youth Award for his contribution to the arts is just but another rung on the ladder he has set for himself.
The 26-year-old noted that Jamaica, the region, and indeed the world has not seen the best of him yet, as there is much more to come.
Having just returned to the island after completing a master’s degree in applied theatre at Goldsmith’s University of London on a Chevening scholarship, Mignott is brimming with excitement and eager to put into practice some of what he has learnt, but is not discarding his love for acting on stage and screen.
“I am an actor first, so I will always be true to that; I’m a passionate actor. If anyone thinks I will forget acting let me just say this, ‘It’s not gonna happen anytime soon,’ “he stressed before bursting into laughter.
“But the truth is I also wear many hats. I studied, too, at the Edna Manley College for four years and earned a bachelor’s degree in drama in education, so I am also a teacher. So by being on stage I not only teach drama to students I also live it, so they strengthen each other. I am also a director. For quite some time I have been working with Jamaica Musical Theatre Company, directing their productions. I am also one of the founding members of the Jamaica Youth Theatre, which was established by Quindel Ferguson and the late Aston Cooke, so I am also committed to that,” Mignott shared.
Earlier this year he founded Lighthouse Productions which aims to use theatre to solve social problems, which is aligned to the work he did for his postgraduate dissertation.
“I am eager to get going because there are so many areas in which theatre and other areas of the arts can assist and empower marginal groups. I am eager to put young people on stage and equip them with the tools to not only entertain, but also bring change to their own lives, their families and communities. So you see all areas of what I do professionally come together to benefit theatre, whether it is in the classroom, on the stage or behind the scenes.”
With the new year upon us Mignott said he is preparing himself to host a number of master classes to assist people who are interested in developing their stagecraft or using theatre as a means of community development.
“My time in the UK was life-changing. I learnt so much and was exposed to so much and it is only fair that I share some of this. I will not be deterred by the pandemic. I was able to do work in London through the pandemic so I am ready to share. Theatre and the arts is a powerful tool and we must use it to engage, assist and empower vulnerable groups around us, such as the elderly, wards of the state, and the youth in general,” said Mignott.