Marlon Richardson
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Marlon Richardson Speaks - Pt 3
April 26, 2005
My history in culture can be traced back from birth. My uncle, who was Arthur Lewis's father, was involved in Best Village. I used to go and watch Best Village and would always want to go on stage. For me it was a natural progression. So my personal involvement started from since I was a child. I was involved in the then Trintoc workshop and remember as a little fellah about six years old, running behind my big brother behind the Trintoc workshop. I then became involved in a group called 'Friends Creative Theatre'. The Trintoc workshop was a cultural group under Mr. John Cupid. They did research as well as performances of the indigenous culture of the people of Trinidad and Tobago and mainly in Point Fortin.
Mr. John Cupid is now the research officer for NCC and he is one of the foremost historical minds on the culture of Trinidad and Tobago, in Trinidad. That group was started with a view to push and teach the culture. We had a lot of young people in that group who would be educated about the cultural aspect of Trinidad and Tobago. Out of that group came other groups, such as 'French Creative Theatre', we now have Jeunes Agape, and so on.
Basically any cultural group that is in Point Fortin can almost link itself back to the then Trintoc workshop under Mr. John Cupid. Mr. Cupid started that group around 1981-82. The progress from that spiraled and other groups have been founded. We can now claim to be the cultural capital of Trinidad and Tobago. We have the most calypsonians and performers in Trinidad and Tobago. For example you have Duke, Cro Cro, Iwer, Luther, Preacher, Nyah George, Faye Ann Lyons and Roger George. We have a multitude of calypsonians that we can boast about, and in addition to that we also have Jeunes Agape group. That group is lead by Miss Loyce Lewis who in 1995 won the Trinidad and Tobago song festival.
After the group with Mr. Cupid, I went into the 'French Creative Theatre'. I did a lot of theatre with a guy name Arthur Lewis who has done a lot of work very quietly. He did a number of the Dimanche Gras shows, the world carnival in 1994 and a number of big events in Trinidad and Tobago. He is one of the best-held secrets in Trinidad and Tobago. That group went on to win a number of accolades in the school drama festival through the Point Fortin Senior Secondary. We won it for seven years straight, after that we went on to Best Village and won a couple of titles. We have done a number of productions in and around Trinidad and Tobago. We did some work for the Ministry of Education through the Aids NADAP, and we went to Barbados. The group had started in 1986 and is still in existence today. As a matter of fact, we are now going to start rehearsals for another production right after Borough Day. Again, Arthur Lewis heads the group, and the chairman now is Mr. Sherwin St. Hilleira. I got involved, and developed within the cultural life of Point Fortin through that group over the years. We did a lot of work with the group.
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