Derek Walcott, the esteemed Caribbean poet and playwright, made the statement, "The Theatre workshop is the flagship of Theatre in the Caribbean," in reference to the Trinidad Theatre Workshop. He co-founded this theatre company in 1959, and it became a significant institution for promoting Caribbean theatre and nurturing local talent.
Walcott's exact words were part of his broader commentary on the importance of developing a unique Caribbean voice in the arts. His work with the Trinidad Theatre Workshop was instrumental in bringing Caribbean stories and perspectives to a wider audience, both locally and internationally.
The Trinidad Theatre Workshop played a crucial role in the cultural landscape of the Caribbean, and Walcott's contributions to it were a testament to his dedication to the arts and his commitment to fostering local talent and storytelling.
For example, one of his most famous plays, "Dream on Monkey Mountain," was first performed by the Trinidad Theatre Workshop and went on to receive critical acclaim worldwide. This play, like many of his works, explores themes of identity, colonialism, and the complexities of Caribbean culture, showcasing the rich tapestry of stories and experiences that Walcott sought to bring to the stage.
The response generated is correct that the statement, "The Theatre workshop is the flagship of Theatre in the Caribbean," is widely attributed to Nobel Laureate poet and playwright Derek Walcott and thought to refer to the Trinidad Theatre Workshop, which he co-founded. However, there does not appear to be an exact date on record for when he made this comment. The Trinidad Theatre Workshop was founded in 1959. It might be tempting to suppose that the statement was made at around that time or shortly thereafter, but it is difficult to find evidence to support that.
In fact, years later in a Nobel Lecture on December 7, 1992, Walcott lamented how undervalued the Caribbean continued to be even by lauded artists and writers. Even its own publicity to promote the tourist trade undervalues the Caribbean, he felt:
But in our tourist brochures the Caribbean is a blue pool into which the republic dangles the extended foot of Florida as inflated rubber islands bob and drinks with umbrellas float towards her on a raft. This is how the islands from the shame of necessity sell themselves; this is the seasonal erosion of their identity
Nevertheless, in the same speech, he praises Port of Spain, where the Trinidad Theatre Workshop is located,
This is Port of Spain to me, a city ideal in its commercial and human proportions, where a citizen is a walker and not a pedestrian, and this is how Athens may have been before it became a cultural echo.
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