From:TheBahamasWeekly.com

Entertainment
The first Bahamian TV soap opera, Gippie's Kingdom premieres
By John Pinder, The Bahamas Weekly News Team
Jun 15, 2012 - 1:41:53 PM

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Dr. Ian Strachan speaking before the premier along with 'Tap' who MC'ed the evening's premiere Photo: John Pinder for TheBahamasWeekly.com

Nassau, Bahamas - It was a red carpet affair on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at SuperClub Breezes in Nassau as well wishers, supporters and other fellow Bahamians turned out to support Dr. Ian Strachan, Travon Patton and fellow Bahamian actors for the premier of ‘Gippie’s Kingdom’-a new Bahamian Soap Opera. Yes, fully Bahamian! ‘Gippie's Kingdom’ is fully casted, directed, produced and filmed by Bahamians, for Bahamians and in The Bahamas. According to the director, Ian Strachan, Gippie’s Kingdom has already filmed its first entire season. The directing, acting and overall production took about a year to complete.

‘Gippie’s Kingdom’ is a drama series about Everett Harrison Gibson ‘Gippie’, played by Chigoze Ijeoma, and a series of events that arise after the shooting of his son ‘Junior’, played by Arthur Maycock. The first episode was an ‘edge of your seat’ event as the audience followed in suspense the events surrounding Junior's mysterious shooting. The episode ended with much intrigue as audiences were left with unanswered questions and great anticipation for the remaining episodes of the season.


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Veronica Dorsett of Grand Bahama who plays Everna Photo: John Pinder for TheBahamasWeekly.com

On hand to support the premiere was the Bahamas' Film Commissioner, Craig Woods who said, "Gippie's Kingdom is a new refreshing way to look deep into the magic of Bahamian culture and examining those societal problems which everyone wants to ignore. It is a comedic approach to raise the awareness of these issues, with a twist on full blown Bahamian laughter... It is drama, comedy, intellectual stimulation which have audiences begging for more. It should have a long life, there is a Gippie for every aspect of our society. Bravo to Ian Strachan, Travon Patton and the wonderful cast..... Simply marvelous."

Despite the seriousness of the episodes, filming the actual series was not all serious. According to 19-year old Veronica Dorsett, who plays Everna, a character that has yet to be introduced into the series, filming was a lot of fun as well as exciting. “Epic”, is one word used by Veronica Dorsett to describe what the show is like. “It’s going to be something people are going to want to watch, and it’s going to be something that people will want to talk about,” the young actress from Grand Bahama said.

The show's website provides this overview: Drama.  Romance. Suspense.  Humor.  Action.  It’s all here!  Marble Head Films and 12:01 Studios want to make history.  They want to do something no one else has done in The Bahamas and they want to do it well.  That’s where Gippie’s Kingdom,the Bahamian evening TV soap opera comes in.

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Photo: John Pinder for TheBahamasWeekly.com

This 8 part series tells the story of three generations of the Gibson family.  Life experiences and social issues, common to all Bahamians, are explored in each episode: sweethearting and “illegitimate children,” juvenile delinquency, crime and justice, domestic violence, Haitian Bahamian conflict, and most of all, the power of love.

This soap opera takes us to the classroom, the bedroom, the living room and the courtroom.  We hear the wisdom of the pulpit and the wisdom of the domino table.  And right at the centre of it all is a middle age widower who is having the most challenging weeks and months of his life: Everett Harrison Gibson, Gippie.

An enterprising businessman who pulled himself up by his own hard effort and guts, Gippie finds himself in the middle of the storm that engulfs his children: his eldest son Junior lies in a coma (having been shot by an unknown man), his eldest daughter Monique has returned home because her marriage is in serious trouble, his youngest daughter Everena is dating a known drug dealer, and his “outside son” Evan, normally a model student, has begun to act out at school in violent ways.  Things can’t seem to get any more challenging for Gippie; except they do.  Boy…they do.

Gippie's Kingdom will air Wednesdays 8pm and Sundays at 10pm on ZNS. Find the show on Facebook.

Read a related article by Sonia Farmer of The Guardian.

Cast:

Chigoze Ijeoma is Gippie
Fanchon Dawkins is Monique
Matthew Wildgoose is Kirby
Tony McCartney is Keith Brooks
Thomas Robinson is Detective Samuels
Shirley Taylor is Mama Tilda
Julian Reid is Pastor Davis
Sophia Smith is Willamae
Philippa Moss is Laydeedra
Darion Spence is Sir Lawrence
Jackson Petit is Evan
Valicia Rolle is Estelle
Arthur Maycock is Junior
Veronica Dorsett is Everena
Scott Adderley is Donovan
Brent Burrows is Dr. Rahming
Diana Armbrister is Constance
Julie Bingham is Mrs. Samuels
Veronica Toppin is Principal Francis
Chiquita Culmer is Marvinette
Leano Fritz is Kayron
Kenard Meronard is Jefferson
Tonya Laramore is Riann
Stevaughn Sears is Jason
Tanarge Fraser is Freddy
Erin Knowles is The Reporter
Stephen Sears and Tennessee Fraser are Boy 1 and Boy 2

Crew:

Dr. Ian G. Strachan – Writer/ Director
Travon Patton – Director of Photography/ Editor
Toni Francis - Asst. Director
Erin Knowles - Production Manager
Christin ‘Spirit’ Taylor - Sound Engineer at Spirit Soundz
Ken Nguyen - Photographer at Yu Nguyen Photography
Reyernaldo Delva - Motion Graphics Specialist  3rD MoOon Pictures


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Veronica Toppin who plays Principal Francis Photo: John Pinder for TheBahamasWeekly.com



 
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Stephen Sears who plays a school boy Photo: John Pinder for TheBahamasWeekly.com



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Valicia Rolle who plays Estelle, which is Gippie's son Junior's fiance Photo: John Pinder for TheBahamasWeekly.com



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Cast and crew at the premiere event on June 13th, 2012 Photo: John Pinder for TheBahamasWeekly.com



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