Music and drama productions take centre stage at Edna Manley College
Published:Thursday | November 2, 2023 | 12:08 AM
The Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts comes alive this weekend with the opening of School of Drama Production 2 on Friday, November 3, and the School of Music Faculty Recital on November 5.
The plays The Ritual and Dueling Voices, in celebration of Trinidadian playwright Zeno Obi Constance’s 50 Years in theatre, will run for two weekends at the Dennis Scott Studio Theatre, November 3, 4, 5 and November 12, 13, 14.
Constance’s work, The Ritual, brings to the forefront the plight of a teenage high school student who has been abused and neglected from girlhood. She faces victimisation and is even arraigned on the slightest suspicion of prostitution. The play is an exemplary work that showcases Constance’s hallmark techniques, including the use of play acting within the play.
Characters seamlessly switch roles, embodying different facets of the story, thereby providing an intense and immersive theatrical experience.
In Dueling Voices, Constance emphasises the importance of dialogue in crafting a play. It begins with a children’s game that evolves into a profound exploration of communication and its power to shape relationships and resolve conflicts. His characters use familiar creole, creating a strong emotional connection between the audience and the story.
The plays are under the direction of School of Drama faculty member Jean-Paul Menou. The productions promise to captivate, challenge, and inspire.
The School of Music will stage Soundscape in Black and White, a recital featuring members of its faculty on November 5 at the Vera Moody Concert Hall.
Faculty recitals feature members of staff showcasing their talent in their specialist areas. This recital will feature Roger Williams, Stephen Shaw-Naar, Maxan Russell, Allison Wallace and Orville Hammond on piano.
Patrons can expect a journey through a varied landscape of musical expressions – from the baroque to modern. Among the composers being showcased are Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt, and Gershwin.