Daniel Baptiste’s ‘Come Home David’ featured at the Big Black Box

Daniel Baptiste is perhaps Trinidad and Tobago’s youngest playwright/producer/director. At age 19, he wrote and directed his first play “Treasured Possessions”, which was staged at the Naparima Bowl in 2018 under DNA Productions; a company which he co-founded during high school with his friend, Aidan Adams. With intentions of staging later this year, Daniel has written a new play; “Come Home David”, a reading of which will be featured at  the Playwrights Workshop Trinbago’s (PWT) Monthly Readers Theatre Series (MRTS) today (Wednesday 6^th February), 7PM at the Big Black Box Trinidad Theatre Workshop (TTW)

UPDATE: At 3:15PM PWT Announced that their venue has been changed to TTW

Baptiste; now 20 years old, has been involved in the arts for the past nine years. He has performed in several productions including MCS Productions’ West Side Story, Simeon Moodoo’s ‘The Inspector’ and Rhesa Samuel’s Asylum, and merit listed 3rd and 2nd in CAPE Performing Arts in the Caribbean. He is also a recipient of the award for the Best Overall Actor at the 2017 Caribbean in the Caribbean Secondary School Drama Festival in Antigua.

“My first time as a producer/playwright/director was pressure, but a learning experience.” Baptiste said in an interview with the Trinidad and Tobago Performing Arts Network.

“I only started writing the play [Treasured Possessions] after I returned from Antigua. In his critique, the late Dr. Louis Regis said while he was thoroughly entertained [at the production], and my ability to lead a production company is great, the logic and flow of the script, it could have been better.  This is why I have taken this new play [Come Home David] to PWT; to get feedback and criticism, so that it can be further workshoped and developed before being put on stage.”

PWT is an organization coordinated by playwrights for the making of plays. The organization is dedicated to the memory and work of renowned Trinidadian scholar, academic, theatre historian, playwright and director ERROL HILL (1921-2003) and Tobagonian poet, playwright, essayist and journalist ERIC ROACH (1915-1974). The workshop was initiated in 2003 by Tony Hall with support from Trinity in Trinidad Global Learning Site of Trinity College, Hartford, C.T., Lordstreet Theatre’s Jouvay Institute and the National Drama Association of Trinidad and Tobago, and reads new stage, screen, and radio plays on the first Wednesday of every month.

Come Home David” is about a young man, David, who has lost his faith and struggles with substance abuse. To him, he is on top of his game, but everyone around him can see that he is spiraling out of control. He receives counsel from an unlikely source, but he has heard all this rhetoric before. What would it take for David to return to God, especially when it is coming from the same person who feeds his addiction?

The PWT is inviting actors, playwrights, directors, producers and the general public to partake in the reading and discussion of Daniel Baptiste’s ‘Come Home David’. The event will be held on Wednesday February 6, 2019, 7 PM at the Big Black Box, 33 Murray Street, Woodbrook, Port of Spain Trinidad Theatre Workshop, #6 Newbold Street, Port of Spain.

Admission is FREE but Space Is Limited.

For further information email playwrightsworkshoptt@gmail.com; or call (868) 351-6293; or find them on Facebook and Instagram @playwrightsworkshoptt.