Actress Trishana Wright wowed patrons with her portrayal of an outspoken ghetto woman with attitude in Orlando Sinclair’s latest play, 10A Norbrook Drive which opened last weekend at Johnny’s Place on Dunrobin Avenue, St Andrew.

“I personally prepared for the role by remembering that I had a story to tell but it wasn’t about Trishana, just Tudo and by observing how people in inner-city communities operated who wanted better for themselves in hopes of making things a little easier,” Wright beamed.

“I also spent a lot of time on my script thinking about how I could bring the words to life so that the messages were much more meaningful.”

The play revolves around a voluptuous career woman, Kim, played by the superb actress Latoya Malcolm, who is having an affair with a married man, Tom, played by Michael Nicholson. There are cameos from the next-door neighbor, Kemar (played by the excellent Shaun Drysdale) who is attracted to Kim, and his annoying and nosy wife, Laura (played by Michelle Richards), who later strikes up a friendship with Tu Do.

The grenade of melodrama explodes later in the play which lags somewhat behind the first stanza but picks up dramatically in the second, with revelations involving Tu Do’s hyperactive sexual choices. The word “slut” – that barometer of female sexuality – is never used in the play. However, playwright Orlando Sinclair expertly uses female sexuality as a true measure of female status and self-esteem, where it is either a badge of honor or a crude reprimand.

“The reactions to the role of Tu Do were good and quite funny at the same time. The audience finds the character annoying because she always asks questions about the “skybox”, some call her deceitful, red-eyed and disloyal. A few wonder what else she does to capture the hearts and attention of men,” she said with a laugh.

“I haven’t heard much about slutty jokes, but I think the same thing will happen given that we will be exposed to different audiences or target groups.”

Sinclair said his intention was not to judge.

“Everyone wonders what magic Tu Do possesses that has captivated so many men. We don’t judge or put labels on people, it’s part of a world of painful and complicated words that shape young women’s lives. I am here to entertain, not to judge, this play has its own particular narrative dynamic,” he said.

Customers noticed the uniqueness of the name “Tu Do”. Wright explained:

“It’s definitely an unusual name. I have only heard of a single person with that name and it was a nickname given to him by members of his community in Jamaica. As for the origin, I tried to find it but I couldn’t locate a precise origin even though it sounds like a name you would give to an African woman.

Wright made a name for himself playing leading roles in plays such as love hurtsalso written and directed by Orlando Sinclair, and Sugar daddywritten and directed by David Tulloch.

Sinclair is attuned to the way young Jamaican women speak and interact – their brash voices, their harsh jokes and their unbridled sexuality and how they use these tools to mask their hidden vulnerabilities. Sinclair notices the way girls can seek comfort with each other, a habit that society at large rarely misses an opportunity to vilify, but uses to entertain and edify.

“Jamaican women are the most fascinating women on the planet,” he said.

10A Norbrook Drive plays November 2-3 at Johnny’s Place this weekend.