Make Something at Bocas Carnival workshop

Carnival is a time of creative celebration and ritual, and also a time to tell stories – thus, the first NGC Bocas Lit Fest workshop for 2024 will offer the hands-on experience of telling stories, visually and verbally, through masmaking and performance.

Designer Robert Young and playwright Wayne Lee-Sing will lead a highly-interactive two-part Carnival storytelling workshop called Make Something on January 27, from 1-5 pm.

Featuring segments on costume-making and writing for traditional mas performance, the workshop takes place at Granderson Lab, 24 Erthig Road, Belmont, in the heart of one of Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival communities, a media release said.

Make Something is ideal for anyone interested in combining visual, performance, and verbal creativity, exploring the evolution of traditional mas. Young – founder of The Cloth, a lifestyle and fashion design company, and Vulgar Fraction, a roving mas band known for its unique style and poignant messages – will lead a segment on telling stories and portraying characters through costume, using primarily recycled, natural, and discarded materials, the release said.

In the second half of the workshop, writer, actor, and director Wayne Lee-Sing, with a rich involvement in theatre since 1988, will delve into the nuances of speech-writing for traditional Carnival characters such as the midnight robber and pierrot grenade.

Individuals of all skill levels are welcome to join the workshop, encompassing creativity through words and working with one’s hands. Interested participants are encouraged to register early as space is limited.

For more details and to register: www.bocaslitfest.com/workshops or @bocaslitfest on FB, IG and X (Twitter).