Theatre, Heritage and Innovation

Promoting and preserving Barbados’ indigenous cultural heritage through theatrical productions and the ingenious use of media, history and technology have become core to the work of the National Cultural Foundation.  The overlapping of these elements was the focus of yesterday’s panel discussion entitled “Theatre, Heritage and Innovation”produced by the NCF’s theatre arts officer Lisa (Amanda) Cumberbatch of the Cultural Development Department for CARIFESTA XIII.  Held under the wider programme of the University of the West Indies’ CARIFESTA Symposium, the panel examined recent NCF productions as case studies on the integrated use of disciplines to tell our stories in new and compelling ways: Bussa to Barrow and Beyond, written and directed by Sonia Williams for the 50^th anniversary celebrations, and Mirror Mirror, Show Me a Hero, written by Shakirah Bourne and directed by Alison Sealy-Smith. It also highlighted the Crop Over Heritage Tours, produced and directed by Alison Sealy-Smith, and scripted by historian Morris Greenidge. Williams, Sealy-Smith and Greenidge served as panelists and Cumberbatch as Chair with guest interview Julie Williams, who is an English and Theatre Arts teacher in the public school system.

For more information on other initiatives of the desk please contact Ms. Cumberbatch at 417-6626 or via email: lisa-cumberbatch@ncf.bb.