it's come a long way since Lady Dundas' years of training domestic servants and hotel maids on Mackey Street. Transformed by Meta Davis-Cumberbatch from a training center to a performing arts center in the 1960s, the Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts is this year facing another kind of evolution.
Ringplay Productions, the theater's management group, has decided to revitalize the space formerly popularized in the 80s and 90s. Led by eight Dundas veterans, Ringplay's objective is to hold monthly performances at the theater; the plan comes after several years of seeing the space used sparsely as a rental facility and for a few weeks during the annual Shakespeare in Paradise season. Declared the 'year of culture' in The Bahamas, it seems only fitting for the group's initiative to begin in 2014.
Philip Burrows, a member of the management team, has been involved with the Dundas for more than three decades and has seen the center in its heyday. Burrows was artistic director of the theater from 1981 to 1997 and led the center's repertory season with former Dundas chairman, the late Winston Saunders.
Over those years, the season ran from January to May annually; it was known as a high time in Bahamian performing arts. The Dundas produced regular shows of distinction over 10-night runs; many participants were members of other established performing groups. The Dundas also served as a community center and a venue for summer schools and fairs. Saunders hoped to use the space as a training facility for aspiring thespians.
In 1997, following Burrows' departure for a teaching position in Canada, the repertory season slowly splintered and the Dundas experienced a significant decline in popularity. It has largely remained a rental venue since. The death of long-time theater manager, Betty Knowles, in March 2014 brought with it a realization that the center was in need of a revival.
Ringplay pushed full steam ahead with the first Dundas production since 1997, "12 Angry Men". The cast featured several acting novices, a handful of actors making their return to the stage after 20 years and a peppering of theater veterans.
Burrows was pleased with the event's turnout, noting the cast's eagerness to carry on through a blackout, which affected several parts of the island on Friday, July 4.
"We had the incredible evening of the Friday night, when the power went out at the beginning of Act 2," he said. "Cell phones illuminated the stage, and the guys didn't miss a beat and finished the performance, and it was a good return."
Another Ringplay project has been redesigning the old rehearsal hall into a black box theater - a feature Burrows believes is useful for small productions and theater in the round.
"It's always been an interesting thing to call this the Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts, but only have one theater space on it. Now we're moving closer to it being a center," said Burrows.
The black box theater will host its first Dundas production on July 18 with the opening of "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf".
For Ringplay, this is only the beginning. The group hopes to utilize the large Dundas property by expanding its facilities. Future plans, which are dependent on funding, include constructing a small outdoor performance space and additional training and rehearsal rooms.
The Dundas will continue to host Shakespeare in Paradise productions and function as a rental space. This year's Shakespeare selection is Romeo and Juliet with a cultural twist -- a Haitian Romeo and Bahamian Juliet. True Shakespeare aficionados can also get a quick fix on August 5, when the Globe Theatre will perform Hamlet in a one-night show at the Dundas.
Burrows hopes Ringplay's productions will inspire more of the Bahamian public to get involved in theater. Auditions are held openly, and the management team has encouraged anyone interested in acting to try out. Being a community venture, the center also welcomes volunteers who are keen on helping out on set.
"We've always felt that more people should be involved. More training should take place," said Burrows. "We're trying to just let people know that it's not an exclusive little club or anything, so anybody is welcome."
Burrows, feels confident the entire country could benefit from the revitalization of the Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts. He hopes the center will attract some of the country's younger citizens, particularly those vulnerable to anti-social behavior.
"I saw a video not too long ago about a group of kids in New York who were pretty much gang bangers and then they got into theater and it was quite a changing experience. And I know it's the kind of thing that people are trying with Urban Renewal, because a lot of these guys are in bands and they're traveling now and they're performing and all this sort of stuff. But not everybody is musically inclined, and we're looking for other avenues and other things to do," he said.
Above all else, Burrows believes the art form itself is something to be treasured. Holding Bahamian playwrights in high esteem, he hopes the country will see the importance in the Dundas' newest movement to present regular opportunities to perform and view performances.
"Theater is a part of life. It's putting life up on the stage and people get a chance to see, and I think it's important for any civilized society to have something like that on an ongoing basis and someplace for people to see themselves onstage, to see their lives, to see what they look like on stage," he said.

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