Institute of Jamaica pays tribute to George Carter

The Institute of Jamaica (IOJ) has paid tribute to George Carter, Jamaican theatre pioneer, who died in Raleigh, North Carolina on the weekend during the snowstorm that pounded the United States east coast.

George Washington Carter O.D., popularly known as “Mr. C”, had an illustrious career in theatre and was awarded the Silver Musgrave Medal in 1972 and, eight years later, received the Institute of Jamaica Centenary Medal in 1980.

He would have celebrated his 100th birthday on April 5.

In paying tribute to Mr. Carter, Ambassador Burchell Whiteman, Chairman of the Council of the Institute, recalled his sterling contribution to Jamaica’s theatre movement, having served in several capacities.

He was General Manager of Little Theatre Movement (L.T.M.), Technical Director and a founding member of the National Dance Theatre Company, and Advisory Board member of the Jamaica School of Drama.

Ambassador Whiteman noted that so skilled was Mr. Carter that he was called to national service as Pioneer Organiser of the First Jamaica National Festival of Arts in 1955, Pioneer Organizer of the Jamaica Independence Festival, as well as the Leeward Island Arts Festival.

Mr. Carter served the Jamaican theatre movement from the 1940’s until his retirement in 2001 as Manager and Lighting Expert at L.T.M.

The IOJ, in its statement extended condolences to the family and friends of “this proud son of Jamaica.”

“He will be sadly missed but his work lives on in the legacy of the Jamaican theatre movement,” the statement concluded.