2nd Saint Lucia Studies Conference
The 2nd Saint Lucia Studies Conference
May 13th - 15th 2005
Theme: "The Theatre of Saint Lucian Society-folk tradition to modern stage"
Rationale/Background
The second Saint Lucia Studies Conference slated for April 2005 focuses on the theatrical tradition of the island.
January 23, 2005 marks the seventy-fifth birthday of Nobel Laureate for Literature, the Honourable Derek Walcott and his twin brother (now deceased) Roderick Walcott. Derek Walcott's prolific output of plays that explore not just the cultural and social intricacies of Saint Lucia but also those of wider Caribbean society is well known throughout the region and internationally.
His twin brother, Roderick, although not as well known on the international stage, is credited with establishing the foundation of Saint Lucia's theatrical tradition when the Walcott twins and their friends started the Saint Lucia Arts Guild back in the 1950s. This conference provides an opportunity to honour and pay tribute not just to the Nobel Laureate but also to Roderick Walcott for his critical role and contribution to Saint Lucia's existing theatrical development. The formal tradition of Saint Lucian theatre also includes contemporaries of the Walcotts like Stanley French and Allan Weekes.
The conference also encompasses the post-independence generation of Saint Lucian playwrights and dramatists who have continued the Walcott legacy. Included among these are MacDonald Dixon, Kendel Hippolyte, Gandolph St. Clair, Hayden Forde and Floreta Nicholas. The eighties marked the appearance of several theatre groups, many of them short-lived, that provided the fora for development of contemporary Saint Lucian theatre. The Arts Guild was succeeded by The Creative and Performing Arts Society, The New Day Theatre Workshop, One Love Theatre, Unity Theatre Workshop, Creole Theatre and Lighthouse Theatre among others. While these were mainly based in the capital Castries, significant and long-lived groups like the Soufriere Action Theatre and the State Theatre of Micoud (led by the late Lucia Peters-Charlery) made unique contributions. The one-man theatre of a performer like George ‘Fish' Alphonse drew on a multiplicity of local and Caribbean influences.
The nineties saw even more theatrical sophistication and modernity with the formation of the Factory group, the Téyat tout a fè, Pappyshow Park revues and the Chè Campèche players. These represent a broad range of theatrical presentation from experiments in folk theatre to serious satirical drama to Creole farce.
The popular theatre movement that was prominent in the eighties is an area of particular interest because its form is steeped in the orality and "social immediacy" of Saint Lucian society. Through improvisation, the actors focused on some of the most pressing social concerns.
The use of Creole in dramatic productions - from the stylized use of Creole by the Walcotts to the more natural use by popular Chè Campèche - is another important element of the conference's exploration of the local theatrical tradition.
The background to the most significant and unique Saint Lucian theatre are the traditional theatre experiences of Masquerade and Papa Djab (or Toes,) as well as the stylized theatre of the flower festivals. These carry with them musical traditions that are inseparable from Saint Lucian drama performances. The Conference will provide room for research into these traditional performance traditions and how they have helped to create modern Saint Lucian drama.
Possible Thematic lines:
Roots and branches: Christmas traditions - Papa Djab (Toes), Masquerade; Flower festivals; faith and superstition; folk tales.
The Walcotts and their generation - Saint Lucia, the Caribbean and beyond.
Historical development : The Saint Lucia Arts Guild; the post-independence dramatists; 21st century matters.
Theatre and its communities - the rise and decline of the popular theatre movement.
The business of theatre - the cultural, social and commercial history of Saint Lucian theatre groups.
Saint Lucian Creole Theatre - possibilities of a unique contribution to Caribbean and world theatre?
The playwrights and their theatre : Individual dramatists: Derek Walcott, Roderick Walcott, Stanley French, Gandolph St. Clair, Kendel Hippolyte, George ‘Fish' Alphonse.
The spectacle of Adrian Augier - carnival traditions and Saint Lucian theatre: Hewanorra Story, Sarafina, Anthem.
Theatre into video: the digital age and theatre development - Ribbons of Blue, Chè Campèche et al.
Saint Lucian theatre and radio drama.
Other suggestions welcome.