THE National School of Theatre Arts and Drama (NSTAD) assumes responsibility for education and training in drama at a tertiary level in all regions of the nation. This includes the production of qualified professionals and the promotion of improvements in the fields of theatre and drama. The NSTAD is in the process of becoming a part of a Caribbean and a national network in the provision of academic and technical proficiency in these fields.

The above is the national mandate of the NSTAD, and if the school fulfills this, then the theatrical offerings coming our way will soon be worthy of commendation. And this is a welcome phenomenon.

What passes for theatre nowadays leaves much to be desired. Our theatre today is a far cry from what used to be. One recalls the golden age of theatre through the 60’s and 80’s, with the Theatre Guild Playhouse being the Mecca of memorable productions.
Those who were around at that time still remember Eileen McAndrew and Ron Robinson in Tennessee Williams’s ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, Clairmont Taitt in Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ and Margaret Lawrence in Knotts’ ‘Wait Until Dark’, to name a few.
Chances are that the NSTAD will live up to its raison d’etre. At its helm is UG’s Al Creighton, himself a noted art and theatre critic, and veteran actor and broadcast personality, Margaret Lawrence.
Creighton’s recent lectures with NSTAD students have been dealing with stagecraft as the class prepares for the staging of Tulsidas next month.
Members of the class will direct the production, design the costumes, choose the music. In fact it will be their production, in every sense of the word, and we are eagerly awaiting the showing.
This writer is optimistic about the manner in which the class translates Creighton’s lectures into a stage event, and we hope it will mark a new beginning in the theatre renaissance we are so desperately in need of.
Here’s to a successful staging of Tulsidas and we wish the NSTAD class all the best.

TAILPIECE: The Classique Dance Company was among a number of other dance organisations at the National Cultural Centre last evening. And if the company, with Clive Prowell as Artistic Director, lives up to its reputation, the show was grand indeed. Over the past 15 years, the Classique ensemble has been managing stellar performances, informed by choreography filled with stunning, extensive vocabulary and sumptuous and unbelievably athletic lifts.

By Raschid Osman