Actress Carla Springer talks to Easy Magazine about The Good Life.
What is your greatest childhood memory?
I have several. Playing in my Granny’s shop in Ebenezer, St Philip. I loved to help her weigh rice, sugar and flour (we still have her old shop scale) and add up totals on shop paper with a knife-sharpened pencil. I enjoyed being my big brother Trevor’s shadow and wanted to do everything he did, but as a girl that was difficult so I just spent the time following him around and getting in trouble. I also have great memories as a “farm-girl” helping my pops with the sheep, chickens, pigs and lots of dogs and cats; it was hard work with loads of responsibilities but it was also lots of fun, especially staking out the sheep, mixing mash with molasses and crawling far under the chicken coop to find yard-fowl eggs.What is your most fabulous moment?
The time I received a standing ovation at The Frank Collymore Hall for playing a disabled girl . . . .Or the time I decided to follow my path rather than the one set for me and travelled to England to study for my Masters in arts management . . . . Or the time I wrote, directed and produced my first play . . . . But it is most definitely when I became a mother.What keeps me passionate is my intense love for my family. They make me laugh and remind me of how strong I am when I feel down. My parents have been married for 55 years; they are the funniest people I know and they continue to enjoy their life. My brother is my big rock, sturdy, steady and unwavering in his love for and devotion to me. My beau and my baby are my life.My biggest regret is not studying the arts much earlier. As a little girl, I dreamt of being a performer, but back then, the arts were only seen as extra-curricular activities so I studied accounting instead. I continued pursuing my love for theatre and at age 18, I became a member of Stage One Theatre Productions where I learnt from working on and off stage with the top actors and technical people in the industry. Later on, I joined the cast of Pampalam and then Laff it Off Productions and I got the opportunity to tour overseas. In 2005, I pursued my Masters because I believe strongly that the cultural industries in Barbados need to be pushed as a major income and foreign exchange earner. I also use this knowledge and experience as manager of the Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination. I am a director, producer, writer and actress for SAYGE Theatre Productions and Seaspring Inc. and that’s a long, long way from an eight- year-old acting out self-penned musicals in front of her dolls and the animal community. The person who has made the biggest impact on my life would be my mum. My mum is my closest friend. She has always been the cautious whisper and the voice of reason in my head but at the same time, she is the person who encourages me to do more. She prays for me so hard that I can actually feel it as I go through my day. My mum can make me laugh until I cry and a few times she may make me vex but we never say goodnight unless we say “I love you”. Her family means everything to her and although I often hear that my brother is her favourite, I know she loves me best (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it). A life-changing moment happened when my baby was placed in my arms for the first time. I cried with excitement, felt sick with fear, and was too happy to think straight. I kept thinking “Is she mine? Do I have to give her back? Wait, she’s too small, I don’t know what to do with her. Help!!” Then she yawned and looked at me with unseeing yet knowing eyes and suddenly I knew what earth-shattering, complete love felt like. She is my heart. Her smile is the first thing I see when I wake and she is the last thing I pray for before I close my eyes. Chioma is Igbo (Nigerian Tribe) for “God is good” and that has been my mantra for as long as I can remember.My most treasured possessions are the memories of my grandmother Vernilla Bennett. She was the sweetest, most God-fearing person I have ever known and although she passed away 16 years ago, I still remember everything about her… from her laugh, to her hymn singing, to the feel of her hands as she rubbed me up with Vicks and candle grease, to the taste of her cou-cou and salt-fish (I refuse to eat cou-cou from anyone else). The role she played in my upbringing has determined the person I have become and I will be forever grateful to her for her love and guidance. I think Chioma has her spirit. How did I ever exist without my Blackberry? It keeps me connected to friends and family all over the world. My BB comes in very handy with the dozens of photos I take daily of my daughter, and oh yes, it is also good for making calls. What I love most about myself now is that I am the mother of the most perfect little girl, and I am the best daughter, sister and friend in the world (even though I am no longer Carla W. Springer but Chioma’s mummy). This is a dream come true for me and to have the perfect gentleman, a fantastic cook, loving partner and a doting father by my side; my family is now complete. I am in awe of God’s blessings. God is indeed good!!
