Blessed with an indomitable spirit and showing just a little sign of slowing down, the soon-to-be 84-year-old Freddie Kissoon continues to be the livewire behind the Strolling Players Theatre Group which he founded back in 1957. One might be tempted to say he continues to stroll along—but meeting Kissoon is more like being in a sprint, such is his spirit and effervescence.
“My lifetime in theatre” as he puts it, encompasses acting, directing, drama teaching and playwriting. Before starting the Strolling Players, he was actively involved in the theatre as far back as 1951 when he was in his early 20s.
He is an associate of the Drama Board (ADB)/UK and was awarded the Silver Hummingbird Medal in 1987 for his contribution to culture, drama and theatre. He has been awarded many other local and international awards. At the recent 14th annual WeBeat festival at the St James Amphitheatre, the St James Community Improvement Committee honoured him for his contributions.
As an actor he has made well over 200 stage appearances in T&T, Barbados, Guyana, London, Croydon, Glasgow and Scotland; he has directed over 100 plays. As a graduate of the Government Teachers’ Training College, he’s taught drama classes throughout T&T as well as Grenada, St Vincent, St Kitts and Curacao, and he’s written scores of plays, as well as episodes of the classic local play Calabash Alley. He wrote most of the script for T&T’s first full-length movie, The Right and The Wrong. His plays have been staged all over the West Indies as well as New York, Washington, Toronto, Hamilton, Winnipeg, Montreal, London and Nigeria, both on stage and on television. He is a true cultural ambassador.
The Strolling Players Theatre Company has countless stage performances and counting (at last count some 139 plays, 2,675 times) as well as many television plays (82) and serials (six) to its credit. They have also appeared in locally made movies (11) and numerous radio and tv commercials. Their most recent performances have been at the St James Amphitheatre and in Cunupia (Girls Wanted, Beauty Contest and Doo Doo) and at City Hall in Port-of-Spain (Aunt Agatha, Mr Big Stuff and 20 and Under). Kissoon taught for six years initially at Laventille RC School and then for 25 years at St James Secondary. He also published a book on drama—the first of its kind in the West Indies—entitled 100 Exercises in Creative Drama. He is also a newspaper columnist. The widowed father of two sons (he was married to the late Nesta, whom he met very early in the world of theatre), he is a devout Catholic, and says his greatest roles are as husband and father … not as an actor!
Where were you born and where did you grow up?
I was born at 63 Mucurapo Road, St James. I grew up in Morne Coco Road, Petit Valley, Jackson Place in East Dry River and Camille Road, Boissiere Village in Maraval and live now in Diamond Vale, Diego Martin.
At what schools/institutions did you receive your education?
Nelson Street Boys’ RC School, Port-of-Spain; Modern Secondary School, Woodbrook; Government Teachers’ Training College, St Vincent Street; Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, Embassy Theatre, Swiss Cottage, London, England.
To what do your attribute your longevity in your field?
As with any successful group, whether it be your family, your business or your theatre group, a strong and consistent set of principles and a strong sense of discipline are key.
How can we find out more about you, join your group and keep up to date with your latest projects?
Probably the easy way is by word of mouth, our flyers, the social media and you can call 637-3682. We need younger people to join. The only requirement is a love for the theatre and we’ll see where we go from there.
Who were the people who have influenced you the most in your career in theatre?
There were a number of such people and to name some off the top off my head I’d say Cecil Gray, Errol Hill, James King, John Ainsworth, Horace James and Mrs Jean Sue Wing. A film actor I admired was Laurence Olivier.
For all of the 57 years as a director, actor, teacher, and playwright, which would you rate as your most memorable and satisfying performances/presentations/experiences?
As a director, the most challenging and memorable production was God and Uriah Butler, 1967. It took me about five months to write and three months to rehearse. As an actor, my best role was Judas in the story of the Passion, staged by the Catholic Evidence Guild in 1959 and again 1961 at the Botanical Gardens. I also enjoyed playing the title role in Ti-Jean and His Brothers by Derek Walcott and the leading male role of Arjune in the play Chitra by Rabindranath Tagore. Most of all, it was wonderful acting the role of Man-Man in my play Zingay. As a drama teacher, the most memorable experience was at the Mausica Teachers’ Training College where I had 150 students in the hall and about 15 lecturers in the balcony listening to what Creative Child Drama was all about. The principal, Harry Joseph, who saw most of the sessions, said, “Freddie, you have electrified the college.” As a playwright, my most popular play is Calabash Alley which was originally a radio serial of 78 15-minute episodes, commissioned by Radio Trinidad in 1970.
What is your greatest fear in life?
Yahweh, as I have always said.
What are your greatest accomplishments, theatrically and otherwise?
Theatrically, (with the help of my group, of course), having managed to stage so many productions, so many times all over T&T and the world. Otherwise, I cycled round Trinidad and have climbed both Mt El Tucuche and Cerro del Aripo, our two highest mountains.
What is your most prized possession?
That one I’d prefer to keep that to myself since it is priceless (accompanied with a mischievous laugh).
What was it like growing up in your family?
There were 12 of us: grandfather, grandmother, uncle, my mother, father and six children, before I made my entrance. It was wonderful.
If you could dine with anyone in history, who would that be?
Yeshua, his Hebrew name. You will know him simply as Jesus.
What advice/recipe for success would you give to young people coming into the business?
Actually, I wish I could give this to hordes of young people wanting to join The Strolling Players, but that isn’t happening, but I’ll give it anyway: have a good job; if you expect financial riches in the theatre here, forget about it. If you are seeking self-expression and inner satisfaction, that you will find.
What would you like people to most remember about you?
I would like people to think of me as a good man, a man of integrity and good character…if I may say so myself (chuckles).
What would you say is your greatest virtue?
Next question, please (laughing).
What daily motto do you live by?
Treat others the way you would like them to treat you. Simple really, and it’s a directive we have been given, not so?
