Woodford Square still closed, 7 of 13 trees cleared (February 14, 2020) Paula Lindo Friday 14 February 2020 Cut trees in Woodford Square. PHOTO BY VIDYA THURAB - Vidya Thurab Woodford Square will stay closed for at least another week to facilitate the removal of trees from the venue. But Port of…

FilmTT reels in local producers (February 19, 2019)

Local animators for 2019 Kidscreen Animation Summit (February 14, 2019) Six animators will be representing T&T at the 2019 Kidscreen Animation Summit, regarded as the children entertainment industry’s most important annual event, in Miami this month. They will form part of a delegation being led…

Africa Film TT opens with gala (July 30, 2017) The Opening Gala of the African Film T&T Festival saw a wide and diverse crowd filling the Central Bank Auditorium on July 24 to watch the Burkina Faso film, Frontieres by director Apolline Traore. The films to be featured in the Festival from July 21…

Raguel Gabriel celebrates being HUMAN (July 30, 2017) As singing actor Raguel Gabriel begins his third and final year of study at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City, he’s looking toward the future after school. Gabriel said he wants to be known as “the singing actor from T&T who…

Plenty Talent website shows off creative wares (July 23, 2017) Local website plentytalent.com was founded in 2014 based on the perceived need for a regional database of emerging talent in all areas of the creative industries. Three years later, expansion plans are in the works through a…

Film industry stakeholders talk turkey (July 16, 2017) Tension filled the air during the FilmTT stakeholder meeting as the recollection of past disputes threatened to disrupt the proceedings. However, many in the substantial audience chose to agree with FilmTT General Manager Nneka Luke as she…

Film TT to talk strategic plan tomorrow (July 9, 2017) Film TT will host a stakeholder meeting tomorrow at the Government Plaza Auditorium, Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain. FilmTT General Manager Nneka Luke said the upcoming stakeholder meeting will serve to introduce stakeholders to the firm which…

Fashion TT workshops for fashion industry start soon (July 9, 2017) As FashionTT begins the first of its 2017 round of capacity-building workshops, General Manager Lisa-Marie Daniel said the entity was excited to be holding a workshop in Tobago, which will be the first of its kind in the sister…

Girl Be Heard an epic experience (July 9, 2017) “We are Girl Be Heard!” was the rallying cry at the Central Bank Auditorium as the first cycle of Girl Be Heard TT came to an end with the final production, UnMasked. The production told the story of Maia, who grew up in a single parent household…

Sneak peak at a T&T Opus (July 2, 2017) “In creating Remembrance, I started to make my own nationalist statement using Trinbagonian elements of music." "Since I’m a choral musician, it had to contain a choir; since I’m trying to chart a new course for instrumental music with the National…

Jillia’s dazzling debut (June 25, 2017) Singer and dancer Jillia Cato’s debut concert, Jillia in Concert, was a fun mix of original songs and covers chosen to show off the songbird’s range of musical ability. The concert, the second event in the recently concluded Pride Arts Festival 2017, was…

Theatre light Knolly Whiskey retires after 38 years (June 25, 2017) If you’ve been to Queen’s Hall in the last 20 years, more than likely you’ve seen a lighting design made by lighting designer and technician Knolly Whiskey. Whiskey has been at Queen’s Hall for the last 38 years, beginning as an…

Arts in Action camp on Memories (June 18, 2017) This year’s Arts-in-Action Summer Camp is themed Memories, in honour of recently deceased cultural icons Narcenio ‘Señor’ Gomez, Samuel ‘Brigo’ Abraham and Sir Derek Walcott. The title is also taken from a classic calypso of the same name by the…

Masters mentor, continue traditions (June 18, 2017) As the 2017 Mentoring by the Masters Program began on June 10, participants were exhorted to be serious about the great opportunity they are being presented with. Over 80 participants, past and present mentors and officials of the Ministry of…

Necessary Arts stages provocative show (June 11, 2017) “Provoke,” the graduation showcase of the 20th cycle of the Necessary Arts School, lived up to its name as it took a provocative look at issues currently confronting T&T. The showcase, produced and directed by thespian Penelope Spencer,…

T&T performer roars as Nala in Lion King (June 11, 2017) For Trinidadian Janique Charles, playing the part of Nala in Disney’s The Lion King musical on London’s West End is the culmination of a life-long dream. The 23-year-old said the accomplishment is all the more poignant because she has been…

Indigenous Artists sing at Acoustic Sessions (June 4, 2017) The purpose of the Acoustic Sessions put on by the Indigenous Movement is to encourage spontaneous collaborations between local artists as well as expose interested audiences to a wide variety of local talent. Organizer Sheldon Manoo…

Dani Lyndersay the travelling thespian (June 4, 2017) Thespian and theatre-in-education (TIE) facilitator Dr. Dani Lyndersay said she’s had itchy feet all her life, with a love of traveling bequeathed to her by her parents. Born in Australia, she lived in Indonesia, Holland, Portugal and Canada as…

Abhijit Anchortassoo’s a musical whiz (May 28, 2017) Musician Abhijit Anchortassoo says his interest in Indian classical music began when his family sent him to classes in the genre at age eight. Now, at age 20, he says music is what he wants to do for the rest of his life. Anchortassoo plays a…

Mavis John, still singing at 71 (May 21, 2017) For over 60 years, Mavis John has graced the stages of T&T. Now, as she prepares to perform at the North Coast Jazz Festival: Blanchissuese 2017 and celebrates her 71st birthday, she looks back and reflects on her life thus far. John said if she knew…

National Drama Association seeks new life (May 21, 2017) The revival of the National Drama Association of T&T (NDATT) will enable T&T theatre practitioners to contribute to the development of T&T as a nation as a cohesive whole. That’s the view of Dr. Lester Efebo Wilkinson, who is the Chairman of…

Wasafoli T&T – discovery through dance (May 21, 2017) Wasafoli Trinidad and Tobago’s upcoming dance and drum show is a landmark for the company in two ways. “Ajuba: Paying Homage to Those Before and After Us” is the fifth African Folk Ballet production put on by the company, and its first major…

Mervyn de Goeas – raising the acting bar (May 14, 2017) “There’s so much we don’t know, and we don’t know that we don’t know.” This is the reason actor/director/artist Mervyn de Goeas gives for establishing The Actor’s Lab, programmes on intermediate and advanced acting techniques taught by…

Head Sisters to hold recital (May 14, 2017) Closing Doors: The Final Recital is the final year concert put on by sisters LeAndra and Tylah Head as they complete their music degree at UTT. They describe the free recital, which is one of the final requirements to complete the degree, as the grand…

DCFA Art students’ ingenuity shines (May 7, 2017) Knowledge of yourself and how your creativity can contribute to the betterment of the world around you are some of the topics creative persons confront as they develop their potential. This was evident in the exhibits presented by students in the…

Joanne Kilgour Dowdy dances for life (May 7, 2017) Dr. Joanne Kilgour Dowdy currently teaches Adolescent/Adult Literacy at Kent State University in the US, and so even though she has been involved in dance all her life, attendees at the Monday Night Theatre Forum on April 24 were not expecting to…

2017 Grand Slam includes five women poets (April 30, 2017) In recent times, T&T audiences have been accustomed to seeing and hearing male voices dominate the Spoken Word arena, despite a long history of women-led Spoken Word spaces and initiatives. This year, five of the 12 confirmed finalists of…

Everybody’s macomere launchs third Savanoy book (April 30, 2017) Laughter and camaraderie were the hallmarks of the T&T launch of Side by Side We Stand, the third book in the Savanoy Series by Nathalie Taghaboni, or Queen Macoomeh, as she is known by admirers of the series. The launch took place…

Santimanitay – playing mas in a whole new way (April 23, 2017) The launch of the Trinidadian board game, Santimanitay: Race to the Stage, featured live-action representations of the characters featured in the game, as well as traditional mas characters such as Jab Molassies, Pierrot Grenade and…

Julius Caesar talking Trini (April 23, 2017) The works of Shakespeare have been reworked and reimagined many times to make them more relevant/appealing to readers, and they are taught in schools the world over. The current CXC text, Julius Caesar, is being presented to students in an abridged…

Stop pirating music and let artists make a living (April 9, 2017) “If you’re not at the bus-stop, you’re never going to get on the bus.” Managing Director of FML International Artist Management, David Stopps, said this is the philosophy he tries to inculcate in musicians to prepare them to take…

Girls bloom in spoken word (April 9, 2017) Girl Be Heard Unplugged at the Little Carib Theatre on March 14 showcased the results of the Girl Be Heard project, a women-led empowerment program which uses socially conscious theatre-making to develop, amplify and celebrate the voices of young women,…

Women tell their stories at women’s event (April 9, 2017) The International Women’s Week event, Her Stories, saw an capacity crowd turn out to hear readings by a panel of authors on March 9 at the Alliance Francaise. The panel, consisting of writers Elizabeth Walcott-Hackshaw, Danielle…

Stick-ey Desires musical continues at UWI (April 2, 2017) T&T’s first original soca musical, Stick-ey Desires, will be performed this April by students of the Department of Creative and Festival Arts (DCFA), UWI St. Augustine. Head of Department and Director Louis McWilliams said the play centers…

K Bishop goes “Underground” (March 26, 2017) T&T rapper K Bishop’s song Shackles and Chains turned up on the critically acclaimed US TV series Underground on March 8. The show is produced by John Legend and broadcast on WGN America. The song was in the soundtrack of the premier episode of Season…

3 Canal show goes to SAPA (March 26, 2017) As 3 Canal continues to celebrate 20 years in existence, the group will be performing at the Southern Academy of the Performing Arts on April 2 for one night only. Founder Wendell Manwarren said he expects there will be a sold-out house as both people…

Independent Mas speaks (March 19, 2017) Independent mas practitioners gathered at Granderson Lab in Belmont on March 7 to talk about their experiences during Carnival. They discussed ways of rethinking Carnival and its past, present and future configurations. Speakers on the panel included host…

British Council ramps up arts work in T&T (March 19, 2017) The British Council Caribbean has been carrying out a number of programs in T&T over the last few months. Caribbean Arts Manager Annalee Davis said the implementation of these programs is a part of establishing and continuing cultural…

T&T designers unite with Design Objective (March 12, 2017) The Design Objective organization is a non-profit membership organization created to improve and support the development of design and designers in T&T. The organization was formed by seven founders, Agyei Archer, Melanie Archer, Ayrïd…

Film TT offers small grants (March 12, 2017) The T&T Film Company (FilmTT) is inviting applications for its 2017 Small Marketing and Development Grants. Film TT General Manager Nneka Luke said the grants are small investments into very specific projects based on what the organization is capable of…

Art project showcases the Power of Many (March 5, 2017) In commemoration of International Women’s Day 2017 on March 8, the Women in Art Organization of T&T will execute a socially engaged art initiative and action titled the Women’s Cable Project. The project will be carried out in conjunction…

Marsha Pearce – engaging our communities in art (March 5, 2017) T&T artist Wendy Nanan’s statement “your reaction is just as important as my reaction. Fifty percent of the work is your (the audience’s) response” is the inspiration behind a bi-annual series of conversations on art, called…

Old Yard continues old mas traditions (March 5, 2017) The 2017 staging of UWI St. Augustine’s Old Yard, put on by the Department of Creative and Festival Arts, Agostini Street on February 19, was a colourful celebration of traditional mas. Patrons were treated to up-close views of the characters…

Calypso Rose to give hit making tips (February 16, 2017) MusicTT’s upcoming workshop, The Business of Calypso Workshop featuring Calypso Rose on February 17, will present a series of panels covering the Essentials in Composing Calypso, Calypso Music Production and Music Business/Finance/Marketing.…

Actors, artisans wanted for Wirebend Folklore Theatre (February 26, 2017) Wire Bend Folklore Theatre’s latest production, “The Boy & His Dog and Other Stories” will feature three mini-plays during its School and National Tour from March 20 to 25 in Naparima Bowl. Auditions for performers and…

Byron Camacho hosts film writing and directing workshop (February 19, 2017) Film-maker Byron Camacho’s upcoming workshop on writing and directing short films is aimed toward adults who want to study the fundamentals of screenwriting and directing but have no background in film. Camacho said he…

Joseph Jomo Pierre relishes the nourishment of home (February 5, 2017) Trini-Canadian writer and actor Joseph Jomo Pierre said he felt he was drawn to come back to T&T to act as the lead character, Jason, in the Caribbean premiere of Carnival Medea. Pierre left T&T at nine years old and was…

Moodoo’s The Inspector wins Secondary Schools’ Drama awards (January 29, 2017) The Inspector, an original play written and directed by Simeon Moodoo and performed by students at Naparima College, won eight awards at the National Secondary Schools Drama Festival and will be representing T&T at the…

DMAD says “Every murder should bother you” (January 29, 2017) What do 463 bodies look like all in one place? DMAD (Drama Making a Difference) Theatre Company sought to answer this question in conjunction with a number of other performance artists and groups on January 13. Several groups, including…