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

The Beyond the Dragon’s Mouth Festival is a 15 minute play festival showcasing the stories of Venezuelan migrants with an emphasis on human empathy and the similarities of other journeys taken by Trinidadians throughout history. The Festival, which takes the form of the Venezuelan theatre tradition microteatro, or micro theatre, takes place from July 5 to 7 at the UWI Open Campus, Gordon Street, St Augustine.

The Bocas del Dragón or Dragon’s Mouth is the name of the series of straits separating the Gulf of Paria from the Caribbean Sea. One of the directors and originators of Beyond the Dragon’s Mouth, Marcus Waldron, said, “After working with actor Albert Smith on The Tempest for secondary schools, Albert pitched the idea of bringing micro theatre to T&T. Micro-theatre shows a few 15-minute plays on repeat over four hours, around a single theme, in our case, around human empathy. The mini-plays bring a variety of perspectives through unique stories and insights of Venezuelans and locals affected by this crisis. Some of these stories are sourced from our interactions with Venezuelan migrants sharing their tales of what it is like coming to Trinidad, what it was like in Venezuela, even what are their hopes and dreams as individuals, who they are as human beings and not an othered entity. These plays are typically small cast productions of five or fewer actors, and performers are both locals and Venezuelans who are integral parts of building the stories that will be shared together.”

He said the plays will take place in one venue in intimate theatres as small as classrooms and corridors. All shows run simultaneously with 15 minute intervals for food and conversation. There will be eight show times each night with patrons paying only for the shows they have chosen from among the 240 performances. “Here the story is more important than production value, as the mission is to bring amazing stories to wide audiences in a casual, festive and accessible format. The aim is to have as broad a selection of stories as possible. Five stories will be sourced from Venezuelan migrants about their journeys to and through Trinidad. The other five stories will be from any source, but serve the theme of building human empathy. July 5 is also Venezuelan Independence Day, which ties neatly into the experience.”
Smith said the shows range from “a music experience with a Venezuelan oboist, a contemporary dance piece by a Venezuelan choreographer, to a fantasy micro theatre play written and directed by another Venezuelan creator who’s living here as a refugee. We’re also featuring new and established Trinidadian theatre creators, and we believe we have a very balanced group from both countries. From Trinidad we have Penelope Spencer and her 23rd class which just graduated from Necessary Arts, Marcus Waldron, Aryana Mohammed, Eve Hammel-Smith, Fabrice M. Barker, and others. From Venezuela I am writing and directing, there’s choreographer Nathalia Molina-Springer, and oboist Geremias Mai Marcano, each of them with their own show.”

He said the Festival format is being introduced “because we want to help our brothers and sisters from Venezuela who are living in the most extreme conditions and who have crossed over in search for a better life in our beautiful and generous islands of T&T. We’re using this format of theatre because it is new and versatile, and we can portray a variety of genres so that the audience is able to enjoy different comedy, drama, fantasy, and musical experiences in the same night and for a very accessible price.”

Smith said the festival seeks to evoke feelings of empathy in the audiences, as it explores the immigrant experience from both sides of the channel between Venezuela and Trinidad: the Venezuelans fleeing the anarchy and chaos in their homeland and the reception by citizens of the sanctuary islands of Trinidad and Tobago. “It is important that we help build human empathy between two countries that are so close to each other, and this is our craft, so we are helping the way we know how to.”

The micro-theatre experience is a collaboration of Canboulay and Tout Moun Productions. Tickets cost $25 per show or $200 for all access passes. Shows run from 5 pm to 9 pm each day. For more information, call 742-4621.