NCF: National performing arts company needed

Senior Business Development Officer with the National Cultural Foundation (NCF), Alison Sealy-Smith, says there is a need for a national performing arts company.

She stated this while responding to a question posed during Monday’s Carifesta Symposium at the Arts Lecture Theatre at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus.

She pointed out that over the years efforts have been made to have such a company established but to no avail.

“We are still without one. We are still at a point where we are attempting to do world class theatre and we are doing it with people who have to put in eight and nine hour days at work and then come to work. So we need that.”
Sealy-Smith was one of three members of the panel who addressed the topic, “Theatre, Heritage and Innovation”. Each panellists spoke about different aspects of heritage events which were staged by the NCF.

Sealy-Smith was interviewed by Theatre Arts teacher, Julie Williams, about her role as producer and director of the musical, “Mirror, Mirror, Show Me A Hero”. The other panellists were historian, Morris Greenidge, who shared how he selects which stories to tell the public for the Crop Over heritage walks and Bus Tour, and writer and director of “Bussa to Barrow and Beyond”, Sonia Williams, who spoke about her role in the creation and execution of the play.

Cultural Officer for Theatre Arts at the NCF, Amanda Cumberbatch said she is hopeful that through Monday’s event members of the public would “go away with the sense that certainly they can come to the theatre more.” Additionally, “That people can see the connection between history, culture and art, I think that is the simplest way to put it and that when you really mull over that, it would encourage more people to come out and support art and to come to art events. There is much to be learnt, much to be gained from that.”