Digital drama for Tobago students

SHAPE Up Production – a Tobago-based drama youth group out of Signal Hill Secondary School, will air its 2020 production, The Farewell that Kills, for digital viewing from November 27-December 27, exclusively on Caribbean Cyberstream.

The Farewell that Kills, written and directed by Garnet Lawrence, is a stinging reflection of current social issues using traditional Carnival characters as the medium. Through a series of vignettes: a mixture of monologues, spoken word and dance where real life people are juxtaposed with traditional Carnival characters, each scene focuses on a different yet relevant social issue – from the brutal murder/suicides arising out of domestic violence, to perceptions of inequality by the public towards the police shutting down covid19 parties, said a media release.

In a statement to the TT Performing Arts Network, Lawrence said the drama group has been producing plays since 2016 specifically for Tobago students to critique as part of their CXC requirements.

Lawrence said in the release, “[Before then] we didn’t have theatre in Tobago that students can critique, and they may not always be able to afford to go to Trinidad.”

He was inspired to still produce work in spite of all the obstacles facing the creative sector due to covid19.

“My rationale was that during this time, not only Tobago, but rather the wider Caribbean will be experiencing a lack of theatrical productions. I wanted to create something that is entertaining, thought-provoking, and that students can effectively review for their CXC Theatre Arts play critique component. This is why I have avoided the Zoom platform style and did not pre-record as individual scenes but rather filmed it as a full run…as one continuous flowing production.”

Lawrence said many of his students have expressed interest in pursuing the performing arts as a career and he did not want them to think “because the pandemic has shut down the world”, that their dreams and aspirations are now dead.

“I wanted to show them ways in which it can still be done. I wanted them to see what we can still create, take initiative and keep momentum during this time, while maintaining all the safety protocols and covid health regulations.”

The cast includes: Zwade Phillips, Shemaiah Trotman, Jelani Williams, Cam’ron Nanton, Angelo Berkeley, Téa-Marie Harrigan, Alia Joseph, Dillesia Nicholson and Shakina Alleyne, with choreography by Alia Joseph, Dillesia Nicholson and Reann Lindsay. Cinematography by: Allister Adams and Post Production by: A2 (A squared) Productions.

While the majority of the cast and crew are recent graduates from the fifth and sixth forms, Lawrence admits that he still considers them his students, and acknowledges that the drama group as a whole is a close-knit family.

Whether you’re a CXC Theatre Arts student, a theatre enthusiast with a penchant for Caribbean aesthetics and themes, or anywhere in-between, The Farewell that Kills has something for you, the release said.

The Farewell that Kills is available through video on demand.

For more info: Facebook, The Farewell that Kills [Virtual Caribbean Theatre].