The cultural community mourns the sudden passing of Trevor Rhone, multi-talented theatre practitioner. With his departure, the Jamaican cultural arts scene is undoubtedly the poorer. This is the time when, according to the contemporary custom, the designation of 'icon' is easily applied. Although overuse of the term has created some reservations as to exactly who is an icon, and what qualifies them for the honour, in the case of Trevor Rhone, we can with certainty agree that his extensive contribution to the cultural development of Jamaica, indeed, the Caribbean, is worthy of recognition as one of our iconic cultural figures.

Trevor Rhone, who died suddenly on Tuesday at the age of 69, was a multi-talented, multi-skilled practitioner of his craft. He was known perhaps best of all for his mastery as a playwright, exploring themes of the experience of ordinary folk, from urban to rural, and bringing them to the stage where, in the hands of accomplished actors, they came alive.

Good businessman

Astute in business, he wisely managed to get his works in print, by publishers such as Longman's in England, noted for its textbooks, and with that saw his plays enshrined in West Indian literature and become accessible to students. The link between publishing and theatre has resulted in some of his works being included in school curricula throughout the Caribbean, especially in the CXC exams where a seminal work like Old Story Time has become a classic studied by students across the region.

His many other plays have been performed not only in the Caribbean but beyond, making him one of the few of our playwrights to have reached such a wide international audience. As a writer, he has earned eminence in films, also gaining global recognition as co-author along with the late Perry Henzell of the enduring film, The Harder They Come, which remains widely celebrated years after it was made.

Actor and director

As if writing was not enough, Trevor Rhone also excelled as an actor and director, having been trained in speech and drama at one of Britain's prestigious theatre schools. Of the many pieces which he created, the most poignant memory now will remain Bellas Gate Boy, his autobiographical work which celebrated his roots as a 'country boy' from a small St Catherine community who makes good in the wider world. The play, which he performed himself and which was staged at home and abroad, seems almost a prologue to the full and complete production which his life had become.

There's an irony that 24 hours after a visit to Bellas Gate on Monday of this week, to tour a community project of a basic school and training centre, endowed by him and other members of his family to commemorate the contribution of his mother and aunt in the building of their community, the curtain fell suddenly on his life.

As a theatre activist, Rhone was well aware of Shakespeare's allegory of the world as "a stage and those who inhabit it being players, with their entrances and exits". Rhone covered all facets of the stage in Jamaica through his exceptional talents as writer, director, actor. And now he, too, has taken his final bow, leaving us all to applaud.

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