The prestigious New Play Festival (NPF) returns with renewed vigour, launching its 2024 edition on September 8th at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA). This year’s festival, a proud continuation of the legacy left by the legendary Tony Hall, will once again be a beacon for the development of local playwrights, fostering the growth and sustainability of the theatre industry. The festival’s launch is a much-anticipated event, reserved for an exclusive audience of industry leaders, playwrights, and drama enthusiasts.
Founded to address the need for a platform that nurtures emerging playwrights, the festival has established itself as a crucial capacity-building initiative. By pairing fresh talents with seasoned industry experts, the festival ensures the continuous evolution and enrichment of Trinidad and Tobago’s dramatic arts. This year’s lineup features three unproduced plays, including Gideon Hill by Ahalia St. Bernard, Monkey Bone on the Spring Bridge by Josiah Moodoo, and The Arrival of Scald by Judith Theodore. Each play delves into the complexities of human experience, reflecting the vibrant and diverse narratives of our nation.
The New Play Festival is not just a showcase; it is an interactive, collaborative process. The festival’s four-phase development model involves Play Development Workshops, Dramatic Readings, Play Building Workshops, and Workshop Performances. This methodical approach allows playwrights to refine their work while gaining invaluable insights from established mentors such as Rawle Gibbons, Simeon Moodoo, and Dr. Helmer Hilwig. These industry stalwarts will guide the young playwrights, ensuring that their scripts are not only stage-ready but also adaptable for digital platforms.
In honour of Tony Hall’s vision, the festival continues to innovate. This year, attendees can look forward to a focused panel discussion on the importance of Intellectual Property (IP) awareness and monetization in the digital age. For Caribbean playwrights, understanding and protecting IP is particularly crucial. The rich, culturally unique narratives that emerge from the region are increasingly in demand globally, making them valuable assets that need safeguarding. In an industry where digital platforms are rapidly expanding the reach of creative works, the ability to control and profit from one’s intellectual property is essential. The festival emphasizes the need for playwrights to adapt their craft, not only to protect their work from unauthorized use but also to explore new avenues for revenue generation, ensuring they remain at the forefront of both the local and international creative economy.
The festival’s dramatic readings, scheduled for September 11th to 13th at the Trinidad Theatre Workshop, promise to be a highlight of the local cultural calendar. Each evening will feature one of the three plays, giving the public the first opportunity to experience these powerful new works and give live feedback on the readings. For those unable to attend in person, the festival offers an innovative online ticketing option, allowing patrons to participate in the readings via Zoom.
As the only project of its kind in the Anglophone Caribbean, the New Play Festival has been instrumental in the development of over 25 plays and the engagement of countless theatre practitioners. Yet, despite its success, the festival continues to face challenges in capturing new markets and expanding its audience base. This year’s festival, with its blend of traditional and digital offerings, aims to address these challenges, ensuring that the NPF remains a vital part of Trinidad and Tobago’s cultural landscape.
All dramatic readings are free to the public. You can learn more by visiting www.npf2024launch.rsvpify.com
Join us as we celebrate the power of new voices in theatre and continue to build the future of Trinidad and Tobago’s dramatic arts.
The Trinidad and Tobago Performing Arts Network 