Primary and secondary school teachers and students have until 27 June to sign up for a 3-day Drama Workshop to be hosted by the Ministry of Culture. ‘Voicing and Acting’ will be facilitated by Theatre Arts Specialist, Neila Ettienne at Marryshow House from 16-18 July, from 9am to 1pm.
‘Theatre, Drama and the Arts’ was recently introduced as a subject area by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), and a number of secondary schools are offering this subject to students. CXC’s Theatre Arts Syllabus rationale states, “Theatre Arts is at the centre of the cultural expression of Caribbean peoples. As a discipline, Theatre Arts reflects life and contributes uniquely to the spiritual, intellectual, social, emotional, and aesthetic growth of an individual. Theatre Arts employs a variety of arts, such as, dance, choreography, acting, playwriting and directing. It also uses the crafts of the carpenter, painter, artist and designer, and the skills of organisation, coordination, and stage management of activities. Consequently, Theatre Arts also contributes invaluably to the creative economy of the region.”
“Through Theatre Arts we are able to express our deepest emotions, thus satisfying our innate urge to communicate. It is this urge to communicate that helps us to interact with the world. Theatre Arts provides an important means of understanding, constructing, appreciating, and communicating social and cultural values. It allows us to interpret, value, and transmit traditions of the past; explore, celebrate, challenge building and problem solving strategies that have become important requirements in the contemporary work environment.”
At the end of the sessions, participants are expected to have a basic understanding of how to use the stage correctly during performance, how to use the voice in performance, acquire acting skills and learn how to improvise during performances, among other skills, according to a release from the ministry.
By Linda Straker
