Actors in the 2012/2013 Pantomime skoolers dancing up a storm—WHEN the winners of this year’s Actor Boy Awards are announced on April 14, the National Pantomime — The Golden Macca Fat — will not be among the productions taking home a trophy.

It has not gained any nomination.

Barbara Gloudon — head of the Little Theatre Movement which stages the production — insists she is not being a spoiled sport, but contends the Pantomime is not held in high esteem.

She says over the years, the production has hardly been rewarded. In addition, she has concerns with the policy of nominations instituted by the Actor Boy Awards Committee.

Barbara Gloudon

“It was brought to my attention that one has to be asked to be considered for an award. I don’t want to be seen as picking a quarrel or being disrespectful, but I really don’t see why I should do this. In the past, the judges would come in, see the production and then make their nominations. This has changed and so, despite being sent the forms, we have chosen not to bother going through that process and then risk being ignored…so we are just getting on with the work,” Gloudon tells the Jamaica Observer.

She says over the years, despite outstanding work in the technical areas as well as by the actors, the Pantomime has never come up with the top trophies.

“We have never been nominated for Best Production. This is despite receiving nominations for all the components which go into the overall final product…Set design, choreography, special effects, lighting, etc,” says Gloudon.

“Why nominate yourself? To us, that is like setting up yourself only to get knocked down again. Furthermore, I have never seen where that happens anywhere so we prefer to lie low and just get on with what we are doing,” she continues.

Tanya Batson-Savage, chief judge for the Actor Boy Awards, says it is not a case of nominating one’s self, but rather providing the judges with relevant information regarding the production.

Tanya Batson-Savage

“This just takes the guesswork out of the system and ensures that the information released by the Actor Boy Awards is indeed accurate,” she explains.

The information requested includes: names of leading and supporting actors and actresses; genre of the production; producers; as well as the names of the persons responsible for the technical side of the production, such as lighting and set design.

“This year, we decided that any production which did not submit production forms would not be considered for an award. The Pantomime is not the only production which failed to submit said form to the judges and, therefore, became ineligible for a nomination,” said Batson-Savage.

Last year, the 2012/13 Pantomime Skoolaz received five nominations.