Paula Lindo – Our histories, stories, present, future.

T&T has once again graced the global stage, following the recommendation that locally developed theatre program, Transformation through Theatre and Technology (TTTaT), be internationally implemented. The program is the brainchild of Steven Edwards, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Steven Edwards Productions.

He presented the workshop at Georgia State University (GSU) in the United States, at the request of the University following work previously done with at-risk youth in the Atlanta, Georgia area.

Adam Wagner, Academic Adviser at the Ernest G. Welch School of Arts and Design at GSU, said he was highly impressed with the delivery of the workshop. “The effect it had on the students was notable, and I can tell that the impact the program has in Trinidad from their detailed and careful work already accomplished. Also, I can easily envision this as an Arts initiated program that can be used globally.”

Edwards will also be setting up an animation studio in Atlanta and training students for animation production, along with CEO of Steven Edwards Productions USA, Kurt Guard. Edwards decided to expand internationally after realizing that most of his support while working in T&T came from diplomatic corps and foreign aid agencies. He said he has been appealing to various governments for years for funds to finance various projects.

“Time and again you have young people who are exceptionally talented and doing things at an international level, but you don’t give them any recognition because of the level of nepotism and just downright corruption and it is frustrating. If I have something that is good, then it should be rewarded based upon its merit, not because you like me. There’s too much of that in T&T. If we don’t like somebody, we will do whatever we can to impede their progress. That’s how we’ve been running the country ever since. When you see someone young, instead of encouraging them, you’ll beat them down as low as you can because you feel that that person rising does something to you, which is not the case.”

Edwards said that many times local content is not thought of as good enough unless it has been endorsed internationally. Even though local stations have to pay to import foreign shows, they won’t show local programming, because the mindset is that what we have will never be good enough to go out there.

He said while he is expanding worldwide, he will continue to give back to the community he started out with. TTTaT was originally launched in the Beetham. “When we did the program the first time, we went to all the principals and asked them for a list of the worst students. Many of those students had been suspended multiple times and now a lot of them are policemen, a lot have gone back to school, there’s one who signed up for a sound engineering course and recently recorded a song. I have countless stories like that.”

He will therefore be launching another program called the Chrysalis Project in the Beetham, targeting children and young adults ranging from ages five to 20. Edwards said the children have different issues at different stages of their lives and the project attempts to reach them at each stage. The younger ones, aged five to nine years old, would be taught manners, morals, self confidence and self esteem through theatre, dance and vocals. Children aged 10 to 15 will be developed and challenged in the same areas through performance and theatre. Teens and young adults aged 16 to 20 will be taught life skills, agriculture and trades. Edwards said that money is of great importance to them at this stage, so a focus on earning and food security will empower these young people to stay away from gangs and prostitution.

In order to raise funds for this project, Edwards will also be putting on a festival of plays called “Act It Out 2” from June 6 to 11 at SAPA. The plays focus on social injustice, alcoholism, infidelity, family life and other issues that affect young people. “It’s what we call anti-crime theatre, because crime is not any one thing, per se, and if you just try to tackle one thing and not look at the whole picture, you end up in serious issues.”

Edwards chastised the government for not taking advantage of TTTaT and other programs like it. “If it works, why are you still in this particular situation? Why don’t we try the program? If you have something that could be marketed internationally, why can’t the local Culture Ministry support us? So that is the premise on which now I’ve gone abroad. One of the things that traveling to Atlanta did for me this time around is it made me realize I have something to offer to the world, and as an artist, as a social entrepreneur, I think I’ve now decided I’m going to create opportunities worldwide, and not just for me.”