Richardo Keens-Douglas

Richardo Keens-Douglas is a popular and acclaimed master storyteller, emphasising the art of oral culture and bringing to life stories of the Caribbean in English, French and Spanish.  His stories often explore the theme of self-acceptance and learning to feel pride in being who you are.  The best known of his books for young people is The Nutmeg Princess. His musical adaptation of the book won the prestigious Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Musical of 1999.

He is also well-known as an actor, playwright, teacher, director, television and radio host and inspirational speaker.  He now divides his time between Canada where he first went to study theatre at Dawson College, Montreal, and Grenada, his country of birth.

He has received many other honours, including an MBE for his contributions to culture and education, the Golden Oak Award for his book Tales from the Isle of Spice, and his book Freedom Child of the Sea was chosen as the official Canadian book for children to mark the bicentennial of the abolition of slavery in that country in 2007.

His one man shows have played to sell-out audiences in Canada, the U.S. and the Caribbean.  The show he will perform for the festival is a storytelling/comedy performance for the whole family – the kind of that will take you back to the days when you used to sit outside with family and friends on a full moon night and reminisce or tell tales that will make you laugh or scared to fall asleep without the light on.