Theatre’s Tomorrow, Celebrated Today at SSDA 2017 Drama Festival Awards

Continuing its legacy of developing, showcasing and promoting theatre skills and talents in secondary schools in Trinidad and Tobago, the Secondary Schools’ Drama Association (SSDA) celebrated the outstanding work of the participants of their 2017 Drama Festival, at their Annual Award Ceremony, on January 17th, 2018.

At the ceremony hosted at the Cheryl Greaves Auditorium, Bishop Anstey/Trinity College East, the importance of the contributions of today’s youth towards the theatre landscape and the visual and performing arts (VAPA) in Trinidad and Tobago, was recognised by both Shawn Smart, the President Ag. of the SSDA and Ms. Josephine Torrel-Brown, VAPA Curriculum Officer, Ministry of Education.

In her address, Torrel-Brown affirmed the Ministry’s commitment to continue making VAPA part of its core curriculum subjects in National Certificate of Secondary Education (NCSE), Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) and Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Examinations. She encouraged students to pursue careers in the Arts, noting that jobs do exist for stage managers, stagehands and other onstage and offstage technical roles. Furthermore, she reminded SSDA that it has the power to make a difference in how drama and the arts can be guided and progressed in Trinidad and Tobago.

In the end, of the 16 participating schools, the Award Ceremony saw 38 students receiving special awards for their performance at the Secondary Schools’ Drama Festival, four of whom were granted scholarships to Teatro Journee’s Acting Conservatoire.

The plays which received the James Lee Wah Award for Outstanding Productions will be showcased at the SSDA’s ‘Festival of Plays’ which will be held in March.

For this year’s Secondary Schools’ Drama Festival, one recipient of the Most Outstanding Production Award will have the opportunity to represent Trinidad and Tobago at the Caribbean Secondary Schools’ Drama Festival, to be held in St. Lucia, 2019. Prelims for the upcoming Secondary School Drama Festival begin in October 2018.

For further information, schools may contact the SSDA Secretary, Nichole Melheim via 318-9337 or email ssdadmin@gmail.com.

Below is the full list of awards and recipients of the 2017 Secondary Schools’ Drama Festival.

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AWARD FOR COSTUME

1. ‘Games’ – Couva West Secondary School
2. ‘Stinky Town and the Janitor’ – Holy Cross College

AWARD FOR SET DESIGN

1. ‘Two Creations’ – Bishop Anstey High School East & Trinity College East
2. ‘Class of 2017: Dreams Unravelled’ – Fyzabad Secondary School

AWARD FOR MAKE UP

1. ‘The Hurricane Inside’ – Arima North Secondary School
2. ‘Stinky Town and the Janitor’ – Holy Cross College
3. ‘Beast’ – Signal Hill Secondary School

AWARD FOR MUSIC ENSEMBLE

1. ‘Two Creations’ – Bishop Anstey High School East & Trinity College East
2. ‘Woman Take Two’ – Couva East Secondary School
3. ‘Tears in the Gayelle’ – Naparima College
4. ‘Beast’ – Signal Hill Secondary School

AWARD FOR CHOREOGRAPHY IN A PRODUCTION

1. ‘Two Creations’ – Bishop Anstey High School East & Trinity College East
2. ‘Games’ – Couva West Secondary School
3. ‘All My Chickens’ – Point Fortin West Secondary School

 AWARD FOR ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE

1. ‘The Burden’ – Bishop Anstey High School East & Trinity College East
2. ‘Two Creations’ – Bishop Anstey High School East & Trinity College East
3. ‘Class of 2017: Dreams Unravelled’ – Fyzabad Secondary School
4. ‘Games’ – Couva West Secondary School
5. ‘Tears in the Gayelle’ – Naparima College

AWARD FOR SUPPORTING ACTOR/ACTRESS

1. Nina Gittens (as Angel) for ‘Two Creations’ – Bishop Anstey High School East & Trinity College East
2. Shakira James (as Angel) for ‘Two Creations’ – Bishop Anstey High School East & Trinity College East
3. Shania Jeremiah (as Davidra) for ‘The Burden’ – Bishop Anstey/Trinity College East/BATCE 6th Form College
4. Telissa Purcell (as Dexter) for ‘Games’ – Couva West Secondary School
5. Tyiesha Vincent (as Friend) for ‘Dueling Voices’ – Moruga Secondary School

 AWARD FOR PROMISING ACTING

1. Jade Goodridge (as Vashtee) for ‘Two Creations’ – Bishop Anstey High School East & Trinity College East
2. Rugayyah Scott (as Sonja) for ‘Woman Take Two’ – Couva East Secondary School
3. Lynell Langaigne (as The Wife) for ‘Class of 2017: Dreams Unravelled’ – Fyzabad Secondary School
4. Joseph Williams (as The Janitor) for ‘Stinky Town and the Janitor’ – Holy Cross College
5. Jahia Asson (as Fast Food Employee) for ‘The X-Files’ – Holy Faith Convent, Couva
6. Tishawn Morris (as Movie Patron) for ‘Life into Life’ – Marabella South Secondary School
7. Akil Pinder (as Bandit) for ‘Life into Life’ – Marabella South Secondary School
8. Rianna Triea (as Marge) for ‘Dueling Voices’ – Moruga Secondary School
9. Darius Payne (as Rosie (Mother)) for ‘Tears in the Gayelle’ – Naparima College
10. Sandeep Ramlochan (as Donna) for ‘Tears in the Gayelle’ – Naparima College
11. Matthew Samm (as Roy) for ‘Tears in the Gayelle’ – Naparima College
12. Julian Seepersadsingh (as Boy) for ‘Tears in the Gayelle’ – Naparima College
13. Kaveesh Sylvan (as Eddie) for ‘Tears in the Gayelle’ – Naparima College
14. Jaycel Bailey (as Daughter) for ‘All My Chickens’ – Point Fortin West Secondary School
15. Arianna Richards (as Beauty’s Mother) for ‘Beast’ – Signal Hill Secondary School
16. Adele Francis (as Beast’s Mother) for ‘Beast’ – Signal Hill Secondary School

AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING ACTING

1. Faith Malchan (as Adana Michaels) for ‘The Hurricane Inside’ – Arima North Secondary School
2. Jabari Roach (as Michael) for ‘The Burden’ – Bishop Anstey/Trinity College East/BATCE 6th Form College
3. Miguel Singh (as Drake) for ‘The Burden’ – Bishop Anstey/Trinity College East/BATCE 6th Form College
4. Raymond Garcia (as Devil 3) for ‘Two Creations’ – Bishop Anstey High School East & Trinity College East
5. Kareem Roach (as Devil 1) for ‘Two Creations’ – Bishop Anstey High School East & Trinity College East
6. Odunmbaku Somorin (as Devil 2) for ‘Two Creations’ – Bishop Anstey High School East & Trinity College East
7. Celeste Rolle (as Merlene) for ‘Woman Take Two’ – Couva East Secondary School
8. Jerome Phillip Harris (as Lionel Joseph) for ‘Woman Take Two’ – Couva East Secondary School
9. Terri Ann Rodriquez (as Mother (Sharon)) for ‘Games’ – Couva West Secondary School
10. Jerome Deodath (as Ratimus) for ‘Stinky Town and the Janitor’ – Holy Cross College
11. Israel Harris (as King Corbeaux) for ‘Stinky Town and the Janitor’ – Holy Cross College
12. Priya La Fleur (as Beauty) for ‘Beast’ – Signal Hill Secondary School
13. Shevon Persaud (as Beast) for ‘Beast’ – Signal Hill Secondary School
14. Latifa Baptiste (as Mother) for ‘With All My Chickens’ – Point Fortin West Secondary School

AWARD FOR STAGE MANAGEMENT (MARK D MOMENT LTD)

1. ‘Tears in the Gayelle’ – Naparima College
2. ‘Beast’ – Signal Hill Secondary

Special mention for Stage Management – ‘Woman Take Two’ – Couva East Secondary School

THE ZENO CONSTANCE AWARD FOR MOST ORIGINAL SCRIPT

1. Shawn Smart – ‘The Burden’
2. Dexter Musgrave – ‘Stinky Town and the Janitor’

THE VICTOR EDWARDS AWARD FOR DIRECTING

1. Shawn Smart for ‘The Burden’ – Bishop Anstey/Trinity College East/BATCE 6^th Form College
2. Joseph Lopez for ‘Class of 2017: Dreams Unravelled’ – Fyzabad Secondary School
3. Jeanelle Archer-Chan for ‘Tears in the Gayelle’ – Naparima College

THE JAMES LEE WAH AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION 

1. ‘The Burden’ – Bishop Anstey High School East & Trinity College East
2. ‘Games’ – Couva West Secondary School
3. ‘Class of 2017: Dreams Unravelled’ – Fyzabad Secondary School
4. ‘Tears in the Gayelle’ – Naparima College
5. ‘Beast’ – Signal Hill Secondary School

TEATRO JOURNEE CONSERVATOIRE ACTING SCHOLARSHIP

1. Yolandra Brereton from Couva West Secondary – ‘Games’
2. Jerome Deodath from Holy Cross College – ‘Stinky Town and the Janitor’
3. Raihaan Bissessar from Naparima College – ‘Tears in the Gayelle’
4. Aaron Phillip from Trinity College East – ‘Two Creations’

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