The course of true love never did run smooth.
So says the character of Lysander to Hermia in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. While the language of Shakespeare may seem, on the surface, distant from the context of modern-day Caribbean culture, the production of the bard’s play by the Department of Creative and Festival Arts’ (DCFA) Theatre Arts Unit sought to bridge the gap between Shakespeare’s world and our own. A gap, which, as it turns out, is not actually that far to bridge. After all, who can’t relate to the idea of romantic endeavours not always going smoothly?
“We can access Shakespeare easily, once we get past that invisible wall or block that we put up,” says director Michailean Taylor. For the first and second year students putting on this production, this was the first hurdle that needed to be crossed— to make the material feel accessible and relevant to their daily lives.
Taylor is currently an adjunct lecturer at the DCFA and course lecturer for Production 2, which selected Shakespeare’s classic as this year’s iteration of their annual production. Not the usual choice of play, considering the last Shakespeare production was held by the then CCFA (Centre for Creative and Festival Arts) in 1999 (a portrayal of The Tempest).
“The conversation I had with the class was, regardless of what we do, whether it be a Broadway musical, whether it be Shakespeare, whether it be Asian theatre, African theatre, in order to understand and access the dramatic material, we are going to have to look at it through our lens,” he recalls.
Angelia Bissoon, who played Hermia in the production, notes that “...the director always stated that it’s not a ‘Trini version’ of the play - it’s using our Trinidadian understanding to unlock Shakespeare.”
She elaborates, “Using elements of our culture, using folk dances, using bélé, using pique… using these elements to unlock Shakespeare was really exciting for me. I never expected to see a folk dance or hear calypso singing in a Shakespeare play.”
‘The conversation I had with the class was, regardless of what we do, whether it be a Broadway musical, whether it be Shakespeare, whether it be Asian theatre, African theatre, in order to understand and access the dramatic material, we are going to have to look at it through our lens.’
– Michailean Taylor
For audiences of the production, which ran from March 31 to April 2, this marriage of art forms was also a highlight of the experience. Ambika Assiu, former student at DCFA who attended the Friday night show says that, “infusing aspects of our own culture such as kalinda [stick fighting] movements, shows that, regardless of space, time or cultural barriers, it can be enjoyed and understood by all.”
While the second year course, Production 2, was a class of six, the cast was made up of 17 people from the first and second year cohort at the Theatre Arts Unit. This meant that many people in both the cast and crew were wearing more than one hat. Bissoon, in addition to playing Hermia, also was involved in PR for the production. Jamilah Ross, another student in the production, was double-casted for two crucial roles.
“I was both Hippolyta and Titania, playing those roles [along with another cast member]. That entire process was interesting. The challenge was getting their different personality traits. I had to properly distinguish between the two,” says Ross, who was performing onstage for this first time (aside from secondary school productions).
For many of the students, this was a learning experience that allowed them to see what it really takes to put on a production— the nuances of projecting your voice, learning how to roll with the unexpected punches (like Ross’s mic being knocked off on the first night of the show), and exactly how much work it takes on and off the stage to bring everything together.
“In terms of the process and production on a whole, theatre is not easy. There are a lot of things that have to be done in theatre, and not just acting. We always forget about the technical aspects of theatre, but light plays an important role, sound plays an important role, PR and marketing play important roles. All these parts allow the gears to shift and move. It takes an entire team working together to complete a production,” says Bissoon, who was able to get both sides of the experience as a member of both the cast and crew.
“There are so many opportunities now for theatre in Trinidad and Tobago, as opposed to 20 years ago,” says Taylor.
So for young thespians-to-be, there has never been a better time to get involved. As we emerge from the unique teaching environments created by COVID-19, this year has allowed students and teachers alike to regain their footing in face-to-face settings — which is crucial for theatre.
“This production was our first production post-COVID,” says Taylor. “It really called for the entire department, the entire DCFA, to have all hands on board. I was very happy with the turnout of the production and the way the students embraced the ideas that the production had.”
He notes that the Theatre Arts Unit has not just a responsibility to The UWI, in terms of producing quality work, but also to the community. “We continue to try to always be socially relevant in all of the productions that we produce.”
