The role of Oliver Samuels in Jamaican theatre and his influence on Caribbean theatre are worth noting. “Oliver” is acclaimed throughout the Caribbean as a comedian, stage personality, and for his hilarious plays, TV shows and even a record “Oliver Yu Large”. His work has been very significant in key trends and developments over the past three decades. His own growth to his present stature advanced along with the most dynamic period in the progress of contemporary Caribbean theatre.
After 1970, several defining factors were responsible for the rise of drama. One was the establishment of the Jamaica School of Drama, which was a catalyst for extending the frontiers of the art and providing advanced training for the entire region. At the same time there was the emergence of the professional theatre in the Caribbean. As a logical follow-up was the escalation of drama as popular entertainment, commercial prospects and an explosion of comedy, low farce, and comic performance. Local plays and creole language accompanied social realism, while the influence of folk forms drove formal diversification, and modernist experimentation. But one of the dominant factors was the rise of roots theatre.
