New Play Festival develops playwrights with audience feedback

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.

"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.

“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 ensure the continuous evolution and enrichment of TT’s dramatic arts.

This year’s lineup features three unproduced plays, including Gideon Hill by Ahalia St Bernard, Monkey Bone on the Spring Bridge by Josiah Moodoo, and The Arrival of Scald by Judith Theodore.

The festival's four-phase development model involves play development workshops, dramatic readings, play building workshops, and workshop performances.

This approach aims to allow playwrights to refine their work while gaining insights from established mentors such as Rawle Gibbons, Simeon Moodoo, and Dr Helmer Hilwig. These industry stalwarts will guide the young playwrights, helping ensure their scripts are not only stage-ready but also adaptable for digital platforms.

The festival’s dramatic readings are scheduled for September 11-13 at the TTW. Each evening will feature one of the three plays, giving the public the first opportunity to experience these new works and give live feedback on the readings. Those unable to attend in person can participate via Zoom.

“This week we have dramatic reading of three plays, and in the same way with the monthly reading, we talk to audiences to get feedback. From that feedback, playwrights will rewrite (their scripts) and continue rehearsing the plays, which will be featured during workshop performances from November 28-December 1 at NAPA.”

She said each play will run three times over the period to increase audience size for the playwright to get comments from sample groups.

Niamat-Ali said during October and November the playwrights and their respective teams will take part in play-development workshops.

"Those are the days we will do work on the performance of each play, with actors and directors working with the playwrights toward putting the play on stage.”

The workshop performances will also be available via pay-per-view for those outside TT after the NAPA run, so online viewers can also contribute suggestions to improve the play.

On December 17, awards for the New Play Festival, which will be based on the workshop performances, will be presented in various categories. The ceremony will take place at Queen’s Hall, St Ann's.

This year’s festival will also feature writing workshops, geared to those new to scriptwriting as well as those who want to develop their skills. These will take place in October and details will be announced on NDATT’s social media pages.

As the only project of its kind in the Anglophone Caribbean, the New Play Festival has been instrumental in the development of over 25 plays and the engagement of countless theatre practitioners. Yet, despite its success, the festival continues to face challenges in capturing new markets and expanding its audience base. This year’s festival, with its blend of traditional and digital offerings, aims to address these challenges, ensuring that the NPF remains a vital part of TT’s cultural landscape.

For more info: find National Drama Association of Trinidad and Tobago at @iamndatt on all social media platforms, e-mail nationaldramatnt@gmail.com, or on the website iamndatt.org.tt.