My Granny was always very fond of the Theatrical Arts. So, it was no surprise to her when I announced at the tender age of six, my intentions of taking my act to the family living room. Granny became very enthused and supportive. Most people thought of my Gran as this church lady, but as I grew older and became more acquainted with her. I found out that she was a very fascinating woman.

Granny's interests in the Arts began when she was a young girl. Her Aunt used to allow Granny to assist her with dance lessons at her Charm School. At Aunt Florinda's Charm School one could acquire all the social etiquette and graces, they could stand. While growing up, my Granny would tell me the most delightful stories of her days at Aunt Florinda's. She explained the intricate task of taking ugly ducklings (i.e. the socially challenged) and turning them into beautiful swans.

Therefore, it was a very happy day in Granny's life when I informed her of my plans to start my own Dance Troupe with my cousins. The name of our group was called, "The Skinny-Minis", because most of our relatives endearingly called us skinny or "mawga" as Jamaicans would say. Growing up, my cousins and I were always unusually petite and very thin. With our newly developed Dance Troupe we would tour our relative's living rooms across the country, giving us recognition for something else, other than our meagerness. Our performances included dances to songs such as, "Fly Robin Fly", "Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting", and "Pass the Duchee". The latter usually brought in rave reviews.

After performing in front of Granny and relatives who were partial and doting, I eventually retired from the troupe and decided that I would boost my theatrical aspirations by signing up for school plays. Granny felt it was a marvelous idea. She always said that extra curricular activities nurtured confidence and self esteem.

My first acting debut was in “A Midsummer's Night Dream". I played a fairy that appeared out of the fog and comforted a girl in distress. My line was, "Fear not dear maiden for I have come to rescue thee." I can't tell you how many times Granny and I rehearsed that line.

Well, on opening night the whole family came out to show their support. Granny even got her church friends to attend. I assumed my position, attached to a cord hanging from the ceiling. The stage hands were supposed to lower me, once the chalk erasers were clapped. My stage hands must have taken a snooze, because when time came for them to lower me on stage. I was left dangling in mid air, while choking on chalk dust.
Eventually, I managed to wiggle my way on stage with my fairy wings in a dilapidated condition, but still in tact.

The audience roared with laughter. It really wasn't supposed to be funny. Granny stood up and applauded, she even encouraged a standing ovation. Chanting, "That's my granddaughter, Ms. Mags! Isn't she the brightest star you've ever seen?" With my crumpled wings and all, I accepted the adulation of my Granny and basked in her pride.

This positive reaction from her really motivated my ego. I decided to go for a much coveted acting role. I wanted to play the lead in "Santa Vittoria"; A story about an Italian Village. Part of my preparation for this role was to make myself svelte for the part of the beautiful damsel. Even though I was quite thin, I decided that I really wanted to emulate my character by looking extremely fit. I found one of my Granny's corseted dresses from years ago and used it for my costume on opening night. Having only spent a few minutes in the dress before, it became apparent on opening night that old-fashioned corseted dresses are really not for me. When the time came for me to make my grand entrance, boy, did I make a grand entrance! I passed out from the discomfort of the dress. Granny ran from her seat, yelling, "Lord have mercy! Make way for my grand child. She is exhausted from all these rehearsals and performances! Sweetheart it's Granny, You alright!"

Finally, I came to, thanks to Gran and her smelling salts. Granny commented, "They are pushing you too hard." I said, "No Granny I borrowed one of your corset dresses from the attic and it's causing me a lot of discomfort. Those dresses were good in the 1900's, but they are not for me!"

"Child, why are you girding your waist like that? Don't follow those girls who are dying to be skinny you know! No play is worth that much aggravation. Anyway, I'm still proud of you for trying your best." Suffice it to say that the play was the shortest ever due to my little fiasco. After this experience, I decided to give acting a rest and pursue other interests.

Then, I received a letter in the mail inviting me to participate in a Beauty Pageant. This time, I enlisted the help of Granny and her trusted advisors. Granny and friends helped me to get myself together for the event. One would say they were a tad overzealous, but effective. They put me through an intense grooming course. It consisted of, curling my hair with newspaper particles, to keep the curls firm, wrapping my body in brown paper and vinegar, and the most grueling, being wrapped in masking tape to keep my posture perfect.

Granny would spend hours with me, by putting a book on my head and making me walk back and forth. She said it would help me to float on air. I was exhausted by the time Gran and the ladies were finished with me. The only floating I wanted to do was, float on cloud nine in my dreams. Pageant Day came and Granny and her Brigade were as enthusiastic as I was.

During these events there are always women who are extremely competitive and vindictive. A few times, one or two contestants tried to sabotage me. But like a good ball player, my Granny just cut them off at the pass. Granny said, "No dearie, that's the oldest trick in the book, and as you can see, I wrote the book! So, just sit down and cool your pudding!" I survived the wranglings with my competitors and I finally made it to the semi-finals. However, as fate would have it. My heel broke as I was completing my bathing suit competition. What's a girl to do? I smiled for awhile and then dashed off the stage. All I could notice was that my Granny was up in the front row cheering and waving the American and Jamaican flag. I was busy backstage looking for glue to fix my shoes. Needless to say, I did not win. The best consolation prize was knowing that Granny was my biggest fan. I can still hear her, "Sweetheart, you are worth your weight in gold!"

I have since recovered from my theatrical bug, and have decided to channel my creative energy by living vicariously through others and writing about it.