Caribbean Theater at It's Best
Taking a Look at How Caribbean Theater Evolved
Caribbean theater has always been a wonderful and vibrant art form throughout the West Indies for many decades. However Islands such as Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and Barbados integrate stage plays into their cultures to a higher degree compared to other smaller Islands. Despite their similarities in theatre these three Islands still differ in their own unique way. To the above right is the cast of "A Mother's Scorn". The cast consists of people from Islands such as Jamaica, Trinidad, Cayman Islands, and Puerto Rico who are all talented actors. Also, seen here are the host, and a few members of the stage crew. Thus, the cast of "A Mother's Scorn" was featured in "Everybody's Magazine" in the 2008 Spring issue by the magazine's owner Mr. Herman Hall who also attended their first show in Bloomfield, New Jersey.
The play "A Mother's Scorn" is based on sexual abuse in an affluent family's home in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. The play is powerful, enlightening, remarkably magnificent, and comical. It shows the reality that occurs in everyday life of people globally. Plus, it diverts the attention away from low-income neighborhoods that experience sexual abuse and domestic violence in the home due to socioeconomic problems in most cases. It reminds us all that when it comes to race, color, religion, power, wealth and class sexual abuse and domestic violence affects all different kinds of people. Thus, affluent people experience the same type of abuse, but exercise the advantage to conceal their personal family issues due to money and power. Meanwhile, poor families are perceived as bait for the media, and this is why we hear more about their cases compared to affluent families. Come out and see the play you will enjoy every minute of it all.
- Theater in Trinidad & Tobago
Theater in Trinidad and Tobago has developed in a fragmented manner with several groups of performers producing separate works. These groups have grown from an indeterminate reservoir of natural talent and artistic energy. One group that sprang from this pool of talent and has since withstood the test of time is the Trinidad Theatre Workshop.Founded in 1959 by distinguished West Indian poet and Nobel Laureate for Literature 1992, Dereck Walcot, the company introduced the first theatre season in Trinidad and Tobago with three plays: Jean Genet's The Blacks, Eric Roach's Belle Fanto, and Wole Soyinka's The Road. Since that time the Workshop has produced Trinidad's foremost actors, and indeed has been a source of theatre skills for the entire Caribbean.
The TTW Resident Company has made several tours throughout the Caribbean and North America. They were also invited to perform at the first Caribana Festival in Canada, as well as at the prestigious Eugene O'Neill Playwrights Conference in 1969. Later, such acclaimed Walcott works as The Joker of Seville, commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1974, O Babylon and Pantomime were premiered at the Little Carib Theatre in Woodbrook, Trinidad and more recently were taken on tour to the Huntington Theatre in Boston, the Afro Caribe Festival in Rotterdam, Holland and the Singapore Festival of Arts. Acting upon the recognition that there was no avenue that can be depended upon to offer continuously, the full spectrum of creative arts training that will develop and encourage improvement of artistic standards in people of all ages, the Trinidad Theatre Workshop set about to create the country's first School for the Arts.
In 1989 a dynamic opportunity for the realization of this dream was offered by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago in the form of a building eminently suitable for this purpose, The Old Fire Station Building in Trinidad's capital city, Port of Spain. Being uniquely poised to fulfill this comprehensive requirement of arts training, The TTW launched the School for the Arts in July 1991 and has not looked back since. Methods and techniques developed over the years have proven to be sound enough to turn its early enthusiasts into a highly professional artistic ensemble, which has continued to cull existing talent and train potential talent for excellence. The time that the Trinidad Theatre Workshop spent at this venue was crucial to TTW's development, both as a performing company and an educational institution, with its Theatre-in-Education, Outreach and School of The Arts programs being the primary source for arts training at the community level in Trinidad and Tobago.
The Theater Boom
In the 1960s and 1970s, Jamaican theater exploded. Numerous groups formed. Small theaters such as the Barn Theatre sprung up, often in barns in back yards. And the Sistren Theatre Collective sought to empower poor, urban women by exploring their experiences through improvisation. Jamaicans had always loved bawdy comedy filled with sexual innuendo. Writers at this time further developed those conventions into"roots" theater, a style still popular.
The Ward Theater
Often considered the most famous and influential theater in the Caribbean, the Ward Theatre opened in 1912. The majestic building replaced the Theatre Royal, which had been destroyed several years prior in a devastating earthquake. By the 1920s, the Ward had a prestigious reputation. Broadway plays visited the theater, and Broadway actors considered performing there an honor. Its heyday lasted well into the late 20th century. However, both the building and the surrounding neighborhood fell into a decline, which has discouraged attendance.
Recent revitalization efforts aimed at downtown and the theater have sought to bring back the theater-going public. The Culture, Health, Arts, Sports, & Education Fund allotted $3 million(JD) to a 2004 production of"Into the Woods." To increase attendance, they offered group rates and arranged a shuttle so people could park uptown. Despite falling out of favor, the Ward Theatre continues to host a wide variety of performances, including plays, the annual pantomimes, and dance productions.
Contemporary Theater
Kingston remains the hub of dramatic activity in Jamaica. Most of today's theaters are located there. However, companies such as Jambiz International tour productions around the island, often playing in school auditoriums. Even in Kingston, because most theaters are small, companies sometimes stage plays in unconventional venues. For instance, the Redbones Blues Cafe hosted a 2002 production of Noel Coward's"Come Into the Garden, Maude. "Modern Jamaican playwrights usually write in patois (local dialects), which travelers may or may not understand. Roots plays and plays with social or political commentary prevail. Although the number of writers, actors, and directors is limited, they generally produce high-quality work. Some have achieved international recognition, such as Trevor Rhone and Patrick Brown.
Despite the small size of the island and the neglect it suffered during colonial times, Barbados has a long tradition in the performing arts. There are records of 17th-century ‘tea meetings’ during which people recited poetry, speeches, Biblical passages or humorous stories, while troupes of actors toured the islands by ship and gave open air performances wherever they landed. The Patagonian Theater was built in 1783 but performances were designed for white colonial audiences with white actors until after the Second World War. At that time the Green Room Players were formed and they staged local and international multi-ethnic plays. The non-profit Stage One Theatre Productions was created in 1977, specializing in traditional plays to promote interest in drama. They also organize an annual Stage One Playwriting Contest. WWB Productions concentrates on workshops throughout the Caribbean, exploring indigenous materials and costumes and encouraging local talent. Laff It Off is the leading comedy group, taking a satirical look at political and social issues and focusing on the activities of politicians, community leaders, sports and television personalities.
There are several good semi-professional theatre companies and cultural groups ranging from drama to church choirs. The list of theatre groups includes the aforementioned Green Room Players, Stage One Theatre Productions, WWB Productions and Laff It Off Productions, as well as the St John Folk and Dramatic Group, Bajan Bus Stop, Pampalam and the Pinelands Creative Workshop, which is also involved in dance. Other dance groups include Dancing Africa, Dance National Afrique, the Barbados Dance Theatre Company and Dance Strides. Daphne Joseph-Hackett Theater, Queen’s Park, T 4277267. Performances started in 2000. Named after a teacher who was instrumental in promoting theatre in Barbados and now the main theatre for drama and comedy.
Frank Collymore Hall, in the Tom Adams Financial Centre, Bridgetown, Frank Appleton Collymore (1893-1980) was a poet, actor and teacher who devoted his life to developing the performing arts in Barbados. A bronze bust of ‘Colly’ by Karl Broodhagen stands at the entrance. This is the main venue for music, dance and drama but the 500-seat hall is also used for conferences and lectures and it fulfils an educational as well as cultural function. It opened in 1986 with a week of dance, gospel, calypso, folk, classical music and jazz, called ‘City Nights’. Each year it hosts the NIFCA finals. Performances are advertised in the press. It is usually wise to buy tickets in advance. Most people dress quite formally for these performances.
On behalf of the entire cast, and board members I will like to thank you for taking the opportunity to view our website. We hope to see you in many of our stage plays, and we thank you for your tremendous support.
Thank you,
Michelle K. Sydney
Founder/CEO
