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

Social Disorder, the finale of the 23rd cycle of the Necessary Arts School, took an insightful and thought-provoking look at some issues facing T&T currently. The event took place on June 24 at the Little Carib Theatre and featured pieces written by Creative Director and thespian Penelope Spencer.

The first item on the programme was a dance by the Junior members of the School, set to “I Am A Child of the Universe,” followed by a spoken word piece about the issues they faced as children and teenagers, and the actions they will take to change the world around them. They touched on topics such as parent-child relationships, neglect, emotions, freedom to express themselves, bullying, trafficking, the environment, politics, stress, crime, child sexual abuse and murder, and hope, among others. 

The first piece by the senior students, entitled Work, Work, Work, took place in an office where three employees, their neurotic boss and the cleaner interacted. It touched on the attitude of office workers toward their jobs, and included one person doing just enough to get by while mamaguying the boss, another coming in late because she could and another working hard but more worried about his pension than the job. When an overheard conversation makes them think that they will be replaced by Venezuelan workers, they each react, whether with xenophobia or compassion, and their true attitudes and abilities are exposed. The performance starred Brent Barry, Nikita Quesnel, Leah Cadogan, Michelle Raymond and Cindy Figaro.

Love and Soca, while based around a couple in the entertainment business and their friends, also took a comedic look at gender relations and stereotypes. Spoken word poet Abooboo has been cheated on by his wife Lady Soca, who has written about the affair and their reaction to it in a song. While trying to figure out if he should stay in the relationship and continue to be laughed at by his peers, Abooboo and Lady Soca are visited by her friend Shaima and her husband. The husband is henpecked and downtrodden by Shaima, who controls him because she doesn’t want to be abused as her mother was, and he resorts to rum drinking to suppress his emotions. The performers were Meegan Dass, Richard Lezama, Natasha Lake and Deron Dindial.

In A Crime Spree, neighbours gather at a local parlour, among them a wealthy socialite and her bodyguard, a neighbourhood girl whose family was in and out of jail, the shopkeeper and her daughter. Social, racial, ethnic, romantic and class tensions come into play as the villagers speculate as to who has been shot at the end of the road and how it will affect them. The actors were Meegan Dass, Brent Barry, Sue-Lynne Rose, Natasha Lake, Deron Dindial and Leslie-Ann Beckles.

The final group piece, Social Disorder, touched on topics like love, tolerance, corruption, misogyny, race, politics, and the environment. They called on society to stamp out the social disorder putting the country in danger.

Spencer, in handing out certificates to the junior and senior performers, said she was proud of the 11 performers, 95 percent of whom had never been on a stage before. The 24^th cycle of the Necessary Arts School begins in September.