Reigning Miss Barbados Simone Williams is known for serving face with a side of grace in the world of pageantry. But, this time, she has put her heels aside to take up acting on the international scene.
Speaking to Barbados TODAY, Williams said she took up the opportunity to travel many miles across the US to Georgia to play the role of Rayloni the butterfly in a Black history play, Rooted: The Musical.
The play ran at the Fairview Performing Arts Centre in Stockbridge, a Georgian city known for peaches, peanuts and pecans.
Williams told Barbados TODAY: “I took up the opportunity here in Georgia to participate in the musical. I am still very much a pageant queen and I do plan to continue with pageantry. However, this is just a new experience in the book.
“So far it is a pretty different experience in terms of cultural differences but it is really educational. I would have seen my first train recently and the driving is quite tiring but the people here are quite nice and it has been a [wonderful] experience.’’
The play blends modern-day satire and ancient Africa with lots of folklore characters. The story winds around the plot of a young boy who just graduated and his parents want him to carry on the legacy of being an attorney, but he doesn’t think that life is for him. In a dream, he is visited by his grandmother who takes him on a journey to Africa to help him understand who he is, the importance of being educated as a Black person, and how it can liberate other Blacks. On that journey, he meets all of the folklore characters.
Williams shared that she was excited to play the folklore character, Rayloni:
“I am not a prominent character, I’m just like a spirit guide – I am a very mystical being and I help him to look into himself and believe and to know that he has the potential to do things that are beyond human understanding. From there, he understands who he is and when he returns to the real world he understands why he should carry on the family legacy of being a lawyer.”
Williams auditioned for the role late last November and the rest was a done deal.
“They loved me and I got the role,” she said with a hint of excitement in her voice.
Williams had this word for other young Black women regarding stepping out for new opportunities: “Being involved has taught me that there is more to the world than where you are from…. I say this because since interacting with others from the cast, I have noticed tremendous cultural differences and other acting styles which are different to those in Barbados.
“I would say to other young women that just because something may be outside of your norm, it does not make it wrong or inefficient. The more experiences you have in different environments will make you more adaptable to circumstances in the future.”
Quoting English naturalist Charles Darwin, Williams added: “It is not the strongest nor the most intelligent of species that survives, but the one that is most adaptable to change.”
(MR)
Rooted: The Musical can be found online at Rootedvp.com
