This year’s New Play Festival, a proud continuation of the legacy left by the legendary Tony Hall, will aim once again to be a beacon for the development of local playwrights, fostering the growth and sustainability of the theatre industry.
"The New Play Festival is a series of activities within which playwrights are given the opportunity to further develop their work,” said festival director Safa Niamat-Ali.
The theme of the 2024 festival is No Place Like Home. The event is being put on by the National Drama Association of TT in partnership with the National Academy of the Performing Arts (NAPA), through the National Theatre Arts Company of TT(NTACTT). Additional partners include the TT Performing Arts Network (TTPAN), the Trinidad Theatre Workshop (TTW), Angostura Ltd and Queen’s Hall. The festival will also involve students from UTT’s Academy for the Performing Arts (APA) both onstage and backstage.
Niamat-Ali said the festival is a month-long process which begins when scripts are read during the Monthly Readers Theatre Series, a cold reading held on the first Wednesday of the month. Playwrights are invited to submit their plays for reviews and discussion, and from these plays, three playwrights agree to further develop their plays.
Speaking at the launch of the festival at NAPA on September 8, NAPA board chairman Olson Oliver said he was pleased to be partnering with the NDATT to put on the festival, given the effect of drama on learning.
“There is no substitute for partnership or teamwork. We must strive to be the best version of ourselves by immersion into the cultural and artistic milieu of our people. Research has shown that one of the highest learning occurs when we employ the drama modality.
[caption id="attachment_1107807" align="alignnone" width="811"] Playwright Judith Theodore -[/caption]
"As an educator, when you look at the learning pyramid, what we have found out, the greatest forms of learning, in terms of retention, is when we employ drama. There’s a saying that goes: I hear, I forget; I see, I remember; I do, I understand. And when we do, we capture the essence of our people.”
Artistic director Marvin Ishmael said it was important for playwrights to be allowed to develop their writing, not just for presentation on stage but also on different platforms.
[caption id="attachment_1107805" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Playwright Ahalia St Bernard -[/caption]
“Words are not just units of language, they are vessels of imagination and emotion, creating vivid images in our own minds. Images live in us because of our experiences, our education, our lifestyles, our communities. Each word, through the prism of individual experience, circumstance and cultural context can conjure up a myriad of visions. The true magic of language lies in its ability to conjure up unique personal responses in each listener or reader.
"That is the power that playwrights and writers have had over centuries of writing.”
By pairing fresh talents with seasoned industry experts, the festival tries to ens
