– Guyanese actress addresses sexual abuse through locally-produced TV series
Skilfully using the screen as a medium to communicate on prevalent issues, local theatre practitioner Anastacia Shako-Van Tull is addressing key societal matters, such as sexual abuse, through her ongoing second season of the television series “Shades of Brown”.
The show debuted early in January 2025, and has since received enormous feedback, with praise coming for its high production value and the acting, particularly the new Guyanese talents introduced.
The 28-year-old creator of Anniemated Productions, Shako-Van Tull, and her team spent up to some six hours on each episode prior to release of the series, in order to meticulously craft just a few minutes of a fun and engaging television experience.
First launched in January 2023, “Shades of Brown”, now in its second season, delves into the complexities of racism through the lenses of Anastacia Shako-Van Tull– a New Amsterdam-born actress known as ‘Ann3ie’, who is the writer, director, producer, and lead actress playing the central role of Victoria in the series.
In an interview with The Evening News, Annie explained that the show was initially spawned from her personal experiences of racism, which have led her to explore these themes on- screen.
Director of Anniemated Productions, Anastacia Shako-Van Tull, and another member of the cast
“‘Shades of Brown’ really started as a way to get Guyanese people on-screen. We have a booming theatre industry and I’m a screen junkie, as I like to call myself. I just wanted Guyanese people to also have films and TV shows. Not that we didn’t have them before, but I guess (that) for younger people, (it is good to have) something that had a story that could represent the climate in the country, and also to bring about a way to display our culture in a way that I didn’t see before. It’s just to get our culture on screen,” she explained.
She disclosed that the focus this season moves beyond being solely on racism and addresses more mature themes, such as sexual assault, which she believes can systematically occur in various places.
“We discussed some more mature themes. Though it still has the inter-racial couple in it, it’s not just about racism this season; it’s more about things dealing with sexual assault, whether it be in the church, in the workplace, or at home. We tried to open up those themes…Also deal with the loss of a loved one, and how does somebody snap their life back after a breakup,” she explained.
“It has a lot of things to love. There’s also comedy as well. I think this season we hit pretty hard,” she said.
The show, like a melting pot of diverse themes, aims to make a significant impact; and, so far, she has been receiving substantial support for this initiative, to the extent that she has expressed hope of having this show publicized on major platforms.
“As it pertains to having the show being screened to a wide audience, I am very willing and open to that. Whoever wants to do that, give me a call. But yeah, it would be nice – but I don’t think they usually do weekly episodes inside of a cinema – but if we’re the first to do it, hey, I say my production team should go for it,” she disclosed.
She disclosed that she has even hosted a grand top-tier level premiere for the show, wherein the cast and media house dignitaries sat together to watch the first two episodes.
Envisioning the show contributing to the broader conversation about love and unity for Guyana in the long term, she has said, “Well, it was to show that love should not have a colour in it. And I think it’s a very old lesson, but I think we do need a reminder.”
Her hope is that, after watching the show, the Guyanese people can engage in deep self-introspection. “I don’t write shows to tell people what to think. I write shows so that people can see a situation, see themselves; and then, from what they see, they can make their own decisions after that,” she explained.
“So, they could look at somebody; maybe I wrote them to be good, but they (audience) probably got something bad from that. So, it’s not to say that, because of this show, you need to go and date every other race. No! It’s really just to look at it, examine our behaviour, and then you make a choice afterwards,” she explained.
Adding that this approach aligns with the overarching “One Guyana” Initiative, she declared, “I think that feeds into the whole “One Guyana” thing. Because, though we are all from different backgrounds, there is still one linear Guyanese culture; there’s still something that we can all relate to, regardless of our skin colour.”
Released in January 2025, the show features 15 Guyanese actors. It is currently available for viewing on Anniemated Production’s social media pages, as well as on TVG Channel 28, What’s Happening Guyana, and other media platforms weekly on Wednesday.
