The newly-refurbished Little Carib Theatre, at the corner of White and Robert Streets in Woodbrook, will be the venue for Mango Vert, a romantic celebration of Trinidad and Tobago's music, art and poetry. On September 8, at 5 pm, Trinidad Quartet Productions (TQP) founder, artist and poet, Sarah Beckett, presents a special Gala Night of Rap Romance, her own artistic genre in which she marries her poetry, developed out of her painting, to music, in a collaboration with musician Michael Germain. They will be joined on stage by Ruth Osman, Lord Superior, and Dennis Morgan for a special evening of art, music, poetry and song.
Rap, of course, is an established poetic genre, "but too often," Beckett says, "the lyrics are aggressive and negative," and in her mind, "dangerously violent towards women, especially. Words, music and art have real power." Beckett simply wants to bring, "Romance, sort of a la sweet T&T variety," into our life and world. The Mango Vert Gala reception and performance is the launch of a new series of intertwined events that are being hosted as part of a multi-arts creative education initiative Beckett pioneered in 2005. Mango Vert continues with its more educative slant in collaboration with the Cotton Tree Foundation, where young adults will have the opportunity to interact with and receive individual tuition from professional artists and gain hands-on experience in the art of their choice. "TQP's Community Outreach work with young people is at the heart of what we do and it is critical," says Beckett. Tickets for the fund-raising Mango Vert Gala Night of Rap Romance are available from the Little Carib Theatre, noon-6 pm daily and cost $200.
Mango Vert half-day workshops for 15-25-year-olds take place on Saturdays, September 17, October 15 and November 12, at the Cotton Tree Foundation in St Ann's and cost $20 to register. Telephone:
623-5120.
