by Howard Campbell
NEW YORK – When she was recommended for the role of Ruth in the filmed version of Echoes of A Lost Son, Dianne Dixon instantly empathized with the character whose son was supposedly killed in the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York City.
The Jamaican actress, who has called the Big Apple home for over 30 years, has suffered her share of tragedy.
“Well, having experienced grief and sorrow myself; the sudden death of my eldest brother in 2015 and the murder of my youngest brother outside the gate of our home in Jamaica in 2018, I just had to reflect on the heartbreaking memories and tap into those emotions,” Dixon explained. “I got the role after my manager David Heron submitted video tape of my work to the producers. I didn’t have to audition which is highly unusual in these circumstances. They cast me based on the tapes.”
The filmed version is based on a drama written by playwright Chima Chikazunga. It won the Norman Hall Memorial Playwrights Festival for 2019 and is now available for viewing on YouTube.
Dixon’s co-stars are Natalie Blessing as Keya, her daughter-in-law, Sophia Gutchinov as Jenny and Claudio Venancio as a police officer at the World Trade Center site.
An actress for 20 years, Dixon is from middle-class Constant Spring in Kingston, Jamaica’s capital. Her credits include plays such as Flambeaux and Jamaica- The Musical, and the Emmy-winning television series We Are New York.
She remembers the day when terrorist planes crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, killing over 2,000 civilians including a number of Caribbean nationals.
“I was at work watching the news and saw the event unfolding. I thought it was a movie at first. When I found out it was real we all started crying as it was played over and over again..I knew people who worked there and immediately checked on them,” she recalled.
Dixon has distinguished herself in New York theater. She has been recognized for those achievements with the Caribbean Life Impact Award and the New York City Council Citation and Award for her contributions to the Performing Arts.
She has also been nominated twice for the Audelco Award for Excellence in Black Theater.
