Dancehall music is the soundtrack of Tick Tock, the stage play now showing at Edna Manley College of the Visual & Performing Arts.
First mounted in 2009 at the now-shuttered Theatre Place, this production gives a fresh generation of actors the chance to grapple with Jamaica’s unchanged inner-city struggles—violence, love, survival—set against a backdrop of zinc fences, gospel echoes, and 90s dancehall riddims.
A fusion of comedy and pain, written by Trench Town native Owen “Blakka” Ellis, the experimental play dives deep into Jamaican life with raw honesty and poetic flair.
Tick Tock, on for only two weekends, confronts the paradoxes of a modern uncertainty in Jamaican life. “It’s sticky pon man, it’s sticky fi true,” says one character, justifying abuse as a byproduct of the pressure to perform masculinity. The play’s title references the passing of time, highlighting how men wrestle with roles of protector, provider—and at times, perpetrator.
The tension between gospel and dancehall—two foundational forces in Jamaican culture—runs deep throughout the production. “Any depiction of inner-city life has to acknowledge the vital place of dancehall as a balm and a valve; as a tool of healing and a catharsis,” Ellis tells World Music Views. But in Tick Tock, dancehall isn’t just background music—it’s part of the conversation, often provoking unexpected reactions from the audience.
Some laughter comes during moments of intense emotional conflict, including scenes of relationship abuse. Ellis says navigating those audience reactions “is a constant challenge.” He suggests the laughter often comes from discomfort. “We are a people who use laughter to hide hurt and shame,” he reflects.
A particularly biting moment centers around a phrase lifted from a real-life fatherhood workshop: “Chicken follow hen, you ever see chicken a follow rooster yet?” It’s a stark critique of fatherlessness and its generational impact.
Directed by Ellis and Camille Quamina, the play digs beyond the surface. “We tried to layer each scene and situation with references that went beyond what we’re seeing immediately in front of us,” Ellis explains. Violence in the play is not just physical—it’s historical, systemic, and rooted in Jamaica’s legacy of colonialism and political strife.
The actors, all (well built) students from Edna Manley, bring authenticity shaped by immersion in communities like Trench Town. “The characters are all people I know personally,” says Ellis. “I challenge [the actors] constantly to respect the stories and treat them with reverence.”
With fully realized characters and confrontational scenes, Tick Tock —it provokes in an entertaining way. “I have the audacity to hope that they leave feeling the urge to do something before it is too late,” Ellis says.
Tick Tock, not to be confused with the social network TikTok is a cultural mirror. It reflects pain, reveals truths, and dares the audience to act. Just like poplar dancehall. As the clock ticks, the question isn’t just what will happen?—but what will we do about it?
