A week of riveting performances await!
In its eighth season, National Secondary Schools’ Theatre Festival is stage ready with only one main element needed – YOU!
The annual festival exhibits tremendous talent in Antigua and Barbuda. Providing opportunities to complete school-based assessments, exhibit skills learned for the exams, and work with practitioners from other islands, the festival has become a fundamental fuel in the success of the CXC exams. The brainchild of Owen Jackson, deputy director of culture, this manifested vision has become integral to the development and preservation of culture in Antigua and Barbuda. In its eighth year, Jackson explains, “Theatre is one of those underestimated remedies that can curb some of these issues; in addition, it allows our children to appreciate the way of life, culture, and traditions of our people which we know have been dying. Our cultural forms can find their way back into the fabric of our lives through our children and theatre but the support for research, training and execution of shows must become priority.”
2023 and 2024 “Best Director” Onique Bramwell from the Princess Margaret School is also excited about this year’s festival. “Going into this year’s edition as back-to-back Best Director is both humbling and exciting. More than anything, I’m looking forward to the creativity of the directors and the energy that the students bring to the stage. Each year presents a fresh opportunity to tell meaningful stories, push artistic boundaries, and witness the growth of young talent. I’m especially eager to see how this year’s teams interpret their themes and connect with their audiences—those authentic moments are what truly define the magic of the festival.”
This comes alongside the excitement of first-time playwright and director Keri-Ann Ramsay of the All Saints Secondary School. She would have participated in the 2017 festival with the Antigua Girls’ High School, but returns this year as a teacher, playwright, and director. She shares, “Humbling is the least I can say. It’s been such an honour to sit in the spaces that I’ve always longed to be in and admired. So, being on the opposite side of the table has been nothing short of euphoric. The exact comments and advice I received that impacted my view and desire for Theatre today, is what I’m sharing daily to my students. It has been beautiful.”
Centillia Browne, teacher, playwright and director for the Jennings Seconday School comes into the 2025 Festival with mixed feelings. In her words “I opt to continue despite the challenges for my students. They get the opportunity to showcase their skills before an audience and it is great preparation for their external exam where they can draw from authentic experiences to answer the questions they get asked. Some may say, why not do like other schools and put on productions on my own. Although I would love to, and someday intend to, I know my school’s pocket and the expense, especially of sound and light can be daunting, so the festival is a great opportunity to showcase the students at the government’s expense. I just hope one day there will be a festival of full-length plays as well as the short ones.”
Ultimately, it’s for my children. Honestly this year I am very torn because one of my best theatre students passed in February and I really am still reeling from that loss. He was involved in the festival even after leaving JSS. Tyrell Buckley and the festival are so connected that it feels wrong going on without him. However, my students are eager for the experience, and so I press forward for the new batch of students.
With eight years of success, including the addition of the dance category, this Festival has proven its contribution to the development of culture, the arts, and education in Antigua and Barbuda. In fact, when our students take the stage in regional and international creative arts forums, they are a formidable force. For example, Antigua and Barbuda remains the champion of the Caribbean Secondary Schools’ Drama Festival, surpassing larger islands like Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica, and Guyana.
Principal of the Princess Margaret School, Dr. Colin Greene, also shared his support of this festival: “It is very important. It gives the students a chance to experience what it feels like to be a part of a production. They enjoy the moment. Some have gained scholarships. Others have returned to teach the subject. They get a chance to be ambassadors for the school. The government provides some support, but the school often heavily subsidizes annual participation”. It is well-known that all schools underwrite most of the costs of participating in the annual event.
We cannot overstate the need for the public to invest in the development of the Arts. For corporate Antigua and Barbuda, this is an invitation to invest in the fabric of local culture. For everyone else, this is your invitation to show up for our nation’s youth as they engage in positive activities, which could serve them and the nation well, long after this National Schools Theatre Festival phase in the Creative Industries. From the deputy director of Culture Owen Jackson, “The public is a huge part of the theatre experience and as such, investment in the art form is crucial. In a world where we are plagued with so many issues affecting our young people we all need to invest money and time into them to safeguard their future and the future of the arts.”
This year’s festival is at the Multipurpose Cultural and Exhibition Centre from Tuesday, 22nd to Friday, 25th April 2025. Each night begins at 7 pm. Admission is XC$15 for students and XC$25 for adults. The students look forward to performing for you, so let’s all mark this coming week in our calendars and support not only our alma maters but also the youth of Antigua and Barbuda.
To the participating schools, we say: Break a Leg!!!!!
