Sealy-Smith tells of latest acting gig

KINGSTON – Barbadian Alison Sealy-Smith’s acting career is about to takeoff again with two different roles, one of which she’s remaining mum on for now.

It is however clear that it will be big and will engage a global audience. And that’s a familiar experience for Sealy- Smith who is the voice of Storm in Marvel’s popular 1990’s animated X-Men series.

On Sunday, November 14, Sealy-Smith appeared as the November 2021 Sister In Spotlight on Ladies Speaking, an online forum of Caribbean women. Sealy-Smith spoke on the topic “Commanding Fear”. She said: “If you are not afraid of not getting it right, you might get it wrong.”

Her entire presentation was born out of her experiences of navigating fear as a woman and as an actor. “Fear is real,” she said as she challenged the Ladies Speaking audience to acknowledge fear, use it when you can, and make space for other people so that they too are allowed to acknowledge it.

It was the start of Season II, and the ninth episode in the series founded and hosted by Barbadian A. Cecile Watson who lives in Jamaica. Watson described Sealy-Smith as engaging and entertaining as they reflected on their life lessons of dealing with fear. She said:

“We were really fortunate to have had Alison come to share with us at our monthly meetup. We’re building a community that is connecting for good. And we seek to do so by having women of Caribbean descent from around the globe share their stories of resilience, audacity, and persistence. Alison, as the extraordinary professional and show woman she is, did not disappoint.”

Ladies Speaking, hosted from Jamaica, occurs on the second Sunday of every month at 6 p.m. EST for one hour.

“We’re aspiring to grow the largest community of women of Caribbean heritage who can be a force to be reckoned with as we build the Caribbean together. We’re especially hoping to grow our audience with a cadre of young people who can learn from us and teach us somethings too,” Watson said.

In speaking about her career, Sealy-Smith revealed to the Ladies Speaking audience that she was working on a new form of theatre that was described as a LIVE audio drama. In Cast Iron, she will play the role of Libya Atwell, a Bajan immigrant to Canada who is dealing with the ghosts of her past.

Written by Lisa Codrington, also of Barbadian descent, Cast Iron is co-produced by The Factory Theatre and Obsidian Theatre, the latter of which Sealy-Smith co-founded in the 1990’s. Cast Iron started streaming online for six daily performances from November 19 and ends this Sunday, November 28. Registration is free via: https://www. factorytheatre.ca/shows/cast-iron/ The mission of Ladies Speaking is to empower ladies through inspiring conversations that encourage confidence.

Replays of the meetups are available via ladiesspeaking.com. (PR)