50 years ago, Naps won best production in the National Drama Festival as well as eight prizes in the 1972 production “Tears in the Gayelle” by Dennis Noel and produced by Rosemarie Wyze. The eight prizes were in Best Production, Best Original Play, Best Serious Play, Best Supporting Actor (David Sammy as John), Outstanding Performance (Colin Wiseman as Rosie), Stage Design (Randy Mohammed), Stage Management (Herbert Sukhu) and Lighting (Vishan Maharaj).
According to Noel who played the male lead as Roy, “the story was gripping- a young son of a prominent stick-fighting family seeking to revenge the death of a family member killed in the ring by an unscrupulous opponent.” (Noel, Dennis. Mea Culpa: A Way Out of Hell: Land of the Hummingbird. Archway Publishing, 2017.)
So successful was “Tears in the Gayelle” that it was picked up by the then lone television station Trinidad & Tobago Television (TTT) and made into a movie. “Tears” was virtually in every school curriculum back then, and with the marketing skill of the legendary and our very own James Lee Wah, “Tears” was published in England by McMillan in the book titled “West Indian Plays of Secondary Schools”. The play is still taught in secondary schools to this day as it is contained in the essential drama text of this generation, Lee Wah’s “Carray”.
Naparima College has played a vital role in the realm of Trinbagonian theatre history. Follow us for more highlights of these golden achievements in the arts as we continue to celebrate our artistic heritage.
“And, the curtain is drawn!”
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