Steven Edwards uses theatre, technology to transform lives

STEVEN EDWARDS believes he has been given a gift of creativity and has an obligation to use it to motivate others and bring about positive change.

Edwards is the founder, executive chairman and creative director of Steven Edwards Productions (SEP), a non-governmental organisation based in Santa Rosa Heights, Arima. The organisation’s main focus is to transform lives through theatre and technology.

Before the covid19 pandemic, Edwards said he and his team did school tours, at both primary and secondary schools, to do motivational sessions with the students, bring out their creativity and teach them a number of life lessons.

“We had visited over 30 schools. Covid came in height of all of it and stopped us from doing it,” Edwards told Newsday. But, like so many other people, Edwards had to learn to shift his work to an online platform.

The Theatre for Tots to Teens programme he developed teaches good manners, appreciation of cultural diversity, and tolerance towards others, and was approved by the Ministry of Education to be used as part of the Visual and Performing Arts and Health and Family Life Education curriculum.

Edwards has decided to add a new element to the www.theatrefortotstoteens.com platform – a Toco Tim series that will be available for viewing on www.tocotim.com.

“It’s a TV series kind of like a TT version of Sesame Street. Every episode will carry a theme, and everything will be done within the theme and very localised.

"We shot the first four episodes and I’m editing the pilot. Once we can get sponsorship we’ll be ready to go.”

Additionally, he posts Toco Tim and friends in TikTok videos “just as a way to have our content available for the public.”

Edwards has always loved the performing arts and writes, directs and acts in his own plays. He began using theatre as a mental and emotional tool for healing when his 17-year-old friend Kenton Peterson was shot in the head. The incident inspired him to start SEP, through which the transformation through theatre and technology programme was developed.

In addition to the school tours, Edwards introduced the programmes to vulnerable communities.

“In 2010 we started at Hillview College. When we saw the result of what we did there, we began community programmes in order to be effective. We went into communities like Laventille and the Beetham.”

What started off as a hobby for him is now a production company that goes beyond providing entertainment to people. He said as the pandemic began restricting physical activities, he began offering free online acting classes, mainly for adults.

“Right now we are working on developing a training programme for children, because children need a different type of engagement. It may not be free, because it will require more time and patience, because we will have to be more engaging.”

These online sessions with adults, though, led him down a dark path on which he was able to shine some light.

“I tend to pick up when people have had trauma in their lives. In one of the Zoom acting classes there was one student I felt was holding back. I approached her and asked why, and she sent a voice clip that haunted me, and I decided I had to something about it.”

She was a victim of rape.

He started asking his students to write out pieces that they could perform as well as highlight their trauma.

“One individual had so many experiences that I had to bring attention to it on the scale that people are looking at it. We did a TikTok video campaign and people started to contact us for help. We were able to partner with people, like counsellors etc, and were able to help these women is many ways. They got clothes, toiletries, counselling, we offered digital marketing training to help them with employment. We created avenues for other women to tell their stories.”

He said gender-based violence is not acceptable and should be tackled from a holistic point of view.

Edwards said he understands that he needs to allow the younger members of his team to take a more active role in the organisation because of the nature of the programmes.

“I am now 42, and for me to keep my (ear to) the ground I engage with much younger people. Sachin Balkisoon is 17 and is head of social media. Stephen, my son, is 18 and is director of youth and one of the directors in SEP. Samuel, my other son, is 14 and is head of children’s stories.”

He said his sons are also working on a children’s cooking show called Stephen and Samuel in the Kitchen.

“Samuel can cook, Stephen can’t. They have an opposing dynamic. Samuel will be the one who will be teaching the children to cook."

Viewers will soon be able to view it on www.tocotim.com.

Edwards said he truly appreciates the talents with which he has been blessed and understands and accepts he has a responsibility to be a good steward.

“I have a gift and I want to use it. I have no ulterior motive. I just want to use my gift and it’s something for which I’m accountable for the rest of my life.”