“When a man who lives a double life becomes a national hero, how can he keep his story straight when he is being thrust into the spotlight?”
From 31st May – 3rd June 2018, the Acting Studio at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT), Academy for the Performing Arts (APA) will present ‘Look Twice It’s Your Wife’ as part of APAFest 2018; a culmination of the best of the Music, Dance and Acting Departments at the Academy.
Starring Narad Mahabir as Mootilal; Bridget Rampersad and Nafilia McIntyre as Nasha Singh; Kenelle Alphonse and Christy Maynard as Sandra Singh, and featuring Michael Cherrie as Bloods, with the supporting talents of 3rd and 4th year acting students, ‘Look Twice It’s Your Wife’ is a hilarious comedy written and directed by Marvin Ishmael.
Marvin Ishmael, who has written sixteen plays all produced in Canada and the USA, is a recipient of the Chalmers Award for “Forever Free” and the Dora Mavor Moore Award for “My Father, My Hero”. Ishmael, also known for his work in many Canadian television shows and the Broadway Musical ‘Bombay Dreams’, is the Assistant Professor in Acting at the Academy.
In an interview with the Trinidad and Tobago Performing Arts Network, Ishmael described the play as “part of the fantasy we live as men.”
“I appreciate female beauty in all forms. It is the aspirations of men to have control over that beauty in their lives is what the story is all about. One [woman] is never sufficient, and that is where the tension lies within the piece” he continued.
When asked why this play was selected as the one to be showcased, Ishmael said that the Director of the Academy, Professor Kwame Ryan, read the script and thought that the Academy would do well to have a comedy serving them. Ishmael further revealed that it has been a tough year at UTT in terms of the public perception of the University, as well the loss of so many of their colleagues, which has created a looming uncertainty among faculty and students. He went on to say,
“As a nation we’ve always been able to laugh despite what is happening around us […] and I think Look Twice, being the comedy that it is will give us, the students and faculty, a brief respite from the reality of life.”
Narad Mahabir, a final year acting student said of the Acting Programme that it is one of the best things this country has ever had, while also acknowledging the challenges they have been having. He explained,
“Recently we’ve been suffering a lot at UTT and it has made a lot of people here disgruntled and with good reason. At the end of the day, I believe we have so much more than what we’ve had before, and I think it is important that the heads and the powers that be understand this and make the right decisions to develop the facilities we do have, and that the budding artists take full advantage of it.”
Bridget Rampersad, a year 3 student said the Acting Programme has given her a self-confidence that she doesn’t think she would have developed elsewhere. She states,
“It has helped me develop myself as a performer and as a person.”
While Kenelle Alphonse, also in her final year, says
“I have grown so much from year one to now. The programme has strengthened me as an individual, I have become more accepting of myself. Acting is an expression of self, but to me, it is finding myself through other peoples’ story.”
Alphonse says that with ‘Look Twice’ the process is a thrilling experience and she is having a lot of fun developing her character. This play will be the fourth year students’ final performance before they graduate, and Alphonse says she’d like to make the experience a memorable one for those who attend.
‘Look Twice It’s Your Wife’ will run Thursday 31st May; Friday 1st, Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd June, 2018 at The Powergen Theatre (Theatre 2 – Room 123), UTT APA Campus at NAPA, Keate Street entrance, Port of Spain. Showtime: 7PM ALL DAYS. Admission: $50
For information, reservations, and tickets, please call 642-8888 ext. 32274 or email apa.allaccess@utt.edu.tt
The Trinidad and Tobago Performing Arts Network 