The Arrival of Scald – refreshingly vintage

ATTENDEES at the workshop performance of Judith Theodore’s play The Arrival of Scald praised the writer for highlighting decades-old experiences with a modern twist.

It was performed as part of the 2024 New Play Festival, where playwrights got feedback from attendees at the end of each performance.

The first performance of Theodore’s play was on November 29, and the last was on December 1.

It was held at Theatre 2, UTT Academy for the Performing Arts, (APA), NAPA in Port of Spain.

The Arrival of Scald was described as being about a “titular character” who moved from country life to living in the city. It is set in the early 1970s.

“As he integrates into a lively group of friends, Scald encounters a series of comedic misadventures, provoking reflections on luck and friendship in a vibrant urban landscape,” the synopsis said.

At the 2 pm show on December 1, audience members were laughing throughout the performance.

It was about an hour-and-a-half long.

Scald, the main character, and his close-knit group of friends that became family resonated well with them.

But during the moments when some serious topics such as racism, classism and injustice were highlighted, many were nodding in agreement at the points being made.

Some other themes included poverty, love, friendship, lust, deception and unemployment.

The predominant language used was Trinidadian English creole.

The feedback given by the audience after the performances aligned with their real-time reactions.

“I think it reflects our society – past and present,” an elderly man said.

He added, “I’ve been around, and a lot of what was displayed here is what I would have experienced growing up.”

Some other attendees agreed with him saying while they understood it was based in the 70s, it included many things that they can relate to even now.

On the topic of colourism, the elderly man said younger people who did not “share the 70s experience” (The Black Power Movement) may not be aware of the strides that have been made since then.

“Some of that came out in the production and there were some emotions, too.”

A woman said she “found herself laughing, probably more than anyone else.”

She commented on the group of friends, “They really were looking out for him and backing him up. And even when he was doing what he really shouldn’t be doing, they really turned out to be more like family and I really appreciated that threat.”

She praised Theodore as well as the actors.

Theodore told Newsday she finished writing this play in early 2023.

She has been writing plays for almost two decades and this was her second entry into the New Play Festival. The first was Dey Dey Gets a House in 2019.

Asked about the inspiration for The Arrival of Scald, she said it was based on a real person who had been “down on their luck” for some time.

“So I decided to write a play based on the incidents that happened.”

She said the topic of colourism stood out to people the most based on the feedback she has received.

“People always think if you are fair (in complexion), you can get through (life easily).

She said the play is simply “about life."

“And a lot of the audience members felt like that, too.

"These things happen in life. These are the things that happen – being stolen from, having false accusations made against you…How would these things make you feel?

"That is why I wrote this."