Jamaican actor and playwright David Heron clinched the prestigious 2023 Broadway World Rhode Island Award for Best Supporting Performer.
His remarkable portrayal of Caliban in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, showcased during the acclaimed production at Wilcox Park, Westerly, as part of the annual Shakespeare in The Park Festival by The Colonial Theatre of Rhode Island, earned him the accolade.
The winners of the 2023 awards were unveiled on Broadwayworld.com on Wednesday, January 17, following a month-long online public vote that drew participation from theater enthusiasts globally. Heron emerged victorious over 29 other talented actors, solidifying his position as the Best Supporting Performer.
The success extended to The Tempest, which secured another win in the category of Best Costume Design for Jaysen Engel. The production garnered a total of seventeen nominations, encompassing Best Play, Best Director (Marion Markham), Best Acting Ensemble, and Best Choreography (by director Markham), along with technical nods for Best Lighting, Sound, and Scenic Design.
Jamaican-born Heron, renowned not only for his acting prowess but also as an award-winning playwright, expressed overwhelming gratitude upon hearing the news.
“It’s the culmination of such an unlikely journey,” he said, “Because as has been well documented, I nearly turned down the role of Caliban due to some of the racial overtones and themes of colonialism within the play. But I again have to thank my remarkable director Marion Markham, who offered to make changes and edits to Shakespeare’s original text that ultimately made the role more palatable to me, which then allowed me to accept. This is as much hers as it is mine. And I’m both humbled and deeply grateful to her and to all who voted to make this possible.”
Support from diaspora
Describing the voting period as his “Obama Mode,” David Heron engaged in a widespread campaign across social media platforms, traditional media outlets, and personal networks.
“I definitely took a page from President Obama’s community organizing playbook for this process,” he said, “Because once the nominations are out and the voting is opened to the public, it becomes almost like the Oscars, where everyone is campaigning to try and get out the vote, so to speak. For me, it was no different. I received amazing support from individuals across so many aspects of my life, including my alma maters- Wolmer’s Boys School and the University Of The West Indies (UWI), my corporate family from CIBC First Caribbean International Bank where I was once Marketing Manager, my own family, and network of friends, as well as my colleagues from the entertainment community in Jamaica and across the USA.”
Heron emphasized the global nature of the effort, with votes pouring in from the Caribbean, North America, Europe, and Africa. He expressed gratitude for the collective effort that led to the joyous victory, considering it a special moment not just for him but also for Jamaica.
In addition to his acclaimed role in The Tempest, David Heron has also made appearances Off-Broadway, regionally, and internationally in productions such as Marley-The Musical, The Emperor Jones, The Winter’s Tale, Pecong, and Romeo and Juliet. His own plays, Love and Marriage and New York City and Against His Will, have also contributed to his distinguished career.
