Staff WriterThe Jamaican (Ottawa) Community Association presents Debra Ehrhardt’s JAMAICA, FAREWELL, Sunday, August 29th at 4:P.M. and 7:30 P.M. at The Gladstone, 910 Gladstone Ave, Ottawa, Ontario.
Based on her true-life story, NAACP award-winning writer/performer Debra Ehrhardt’s, JAMAICA FAREWELL, tells the journey she took to leave Jamaica during the political unrest in the 1970’s. Left to her own devices, she risked prison time and even death in her attempt to pull off a daring and dangerous caper. With the unwitting help of an infatuated American CIA agent, she realized her lifelong dream of starting over in America.
The show had its UK premiere at the Hackney Empire in September 2008 and an eight-week Off-Broadway run at the Soho Playhouse in the Spring of 2008. During that time Ehrhardt received a Proclamation from the City of New York for her “Outstanding Contribution to the Jamaican Community”. She was also a 2007 NYC Fringe Festival award-winner and has had sold out performances in Toronto, Atlanta, Santa Barbara, Ft. Lauderdale, Tampa, Virginia, Santa Fe, Indianapolis, Washington D.C, San Francisco, Mexico, Bermuda and throughout the Los Angeles area. In January of 2010, Rita Wilson-Hanks, producer of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, optioned the movie rights to JAMAICA, FAREWELL with a full US tour of the play to open Spring 2011.
This is Kingston-born, Debra Ehrhardt’s third one-woman show. Her first, Mango, Mango, received two NAACP awards. The second, Invisible Chairs, was produced by David Strasberg at West Hollywood’s Marilyn Monroe Theatre. It was subsequently optioned as a situation comedy by Fox television. Ehrhardt is a member of the Writer’s Guild of America.
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