Creatives to take the stage in NIFCA performing arts finals

Lovers of theatre arts are in for a treat next week.

The National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA) Performing Arts competition is in its final stages and on Tuesday, November 14, patrons who converge on the Frank Collymore Hall will be regaled by some of the best performing talent the country has to offer.

The National Cultural Foundation’s (NCF) Theatre Arts Officer Janelle Mitchell indicated that the fine-tuning and final phase of the various works had been going very well and she expected that patrons would find the showcase of talent to be very exciting and entertaining.

There will be a number of performances from school entrants at both the primary and secondary levels, as well as performances by adults. Community groups will also be featured. Among the categories to be showcased will be spoken word as well as short plays.

“There are works drawn from several areas – how we are treated as individuals, COVID-19-related stress, issues such as racism, mental health, that internal voice,” Mitchell explained, noting that the theme, Voices, would be evident in many of the works.

With NIFCA celebrating 50 years of excellence, Mitchell said this year would be a special one for Roland Edwards Primary School Principal George Francis. He has been among the longest participants in NIFCA, first entering in 1979. Francis, who is nearing retirement, has written and directed artistic works over four decades. As usual, his school will be among those taking to the stage.

NCF Theatre Arts officer Janelle Mitchell.

Mitchell explained that the NCF’s contribution to the arts extended beyond NIFCA and noted that aspiring performers were assisted in many ways through the Foundation’s Business Development Office.

She said creatives were helped in marketing their works outside of Barbados, including through funding. She added that development programmes were also available to aid persons in drama, dance, theatre, and other areas.

The cultural officer also indicated that NIFCA offered a further development component to prospective creatives.

Janine White was a class act at the 2019 NIFCA finals.

“You can get training and if your work doesn’t advance in the festival in a particular year, that same piece can be entered the following year,” she said.

When the finals kick off at 7 p.m., Milton Lynch Primary, Roland Edwards Primary, Reynold Weekes Primary, Deighton Griffith Secondary, La Shawna Griffith, Alister Alexander, Cyndi Marshall (Cyndi Celeste), Akeem Chandler-Prescod (Stoned with Cupid), Theo Greenidge, Nikolai Worrell and Natalie Thornhill, Sandra Squires, and NH Productions will take the stage.

This year there will be a number of awards up for grabs. The Prime Minister’s Scholarship, which is sponsored by the Prime Minister’s Office, is worth $35 000 towards tertiary studies at any Caribbean arts institution. Two scholarships will be on offer across all categories of NIFCA.

The NIFCA Theatre Arts finals next Tuesday will feature spoken word.

The NIFCA Earl Warner Prize comprising a trophy and a $5 000 scholarship will be awarded to the director of the Most Promising Theatre piece. The Daphne Joseph-Hackett Award of Excellence, in the form of $3 000 and a trophy is also up for grabs. Other prizes include The Bruce St John Award of Excellence in Speech which includes $3 000 and a trophy.

Among this year’s new awards will be The Alfred Pragnell Challenge Shield for Acting which takes the form of a scholarship worth $2 000 applied to the cost of tuition for studies in drama/theatre or culture at an approved institution.

Another initiative this year is the Barbados Community College Scholarships. These are two scholarships towards training in the Associate Degree programme in Theatre, worth $3 000 each. (PR)