Milestones
Nico on Dec 31 2005 at 6:54 pm | Filed under: General Theatre, R.I.P.
The title of this post seems more than banal in the face of the tragedy that’s come over the theatrical community in the past month. I’m talking about the sudden and unexpected passing of two very different men whose activities made the theatre world richer than it had been before them: Leo Roberts, actor and singer extraordinaire whose presence on the Bahamian arts scene was unassuming, dedicated and enriching, and Sean Hanna, whose wit, intelligence and personality made him one of the most colourful Chairmen of the Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts.
Anyone who had the pleasure to share a stage with Leo won’t ever forget him in a hurry – from his mannered readings during Renaissance Singers concerts to his vocal range – he sang tenor, baritone or bass according to the need of the choir he was in – to his ability to light up the Operatic Society’s stage in productions as varied as H.M.S. Pinafore and Showboat.
And as for Sean – well, there are few people I know who were so alive. Whatever Sean felt, he felt deeply – whether it was humour, grief, or anger. He wasn’t the most patient person in the world, or the easiest to agree with – his ideas were strong, uncompromising, and unconventional – but in a world full of hypocrites, he was one of the most refreshing people I had the pleasure to meet. And whatever disagreements he might have had with the people in the theatre world, his desire to do the best thing for the Dundas was uncontested.
Our hearts and best thoughts go out to their families at this sad time.
[...] 2006 was not a good year for the Bahamian cultural community, and especially for the Bahamian theatrical community. The deaths of Leo Roberts and Sean Hanna at the end of 2005 were harbingers of things to come; if we were paying attention, we might’ve noticed that the raven was hoarse back then. [...]