In one of the most poignant moments of the Peace Memorial Hall forum, celebrated Vincentian playwright and theater director Kevin Rodriguez laid bare the desperate logistical realities confronting local stage artists, revealing that cast members rehearsed their off-Broadway production under municipal streetlights due to the absence of dedicated rehearsal facilities.
Rodriguez, CEO of Axe Enterprise and Managing Director of Agapi Performing Arts Theatre, recently returned from staging his acclaimed theatrical piece, Number 7, in New York. While celebrating the international achievement and praising fellow Vincentian collaborators who contributed choreography and technical direction, Rodriguez emphasized the stark deprivation back home.
“We were practicing to go and present a world-class presentation on a big stage in New York under streetlights,” Rodriguez declared to a stunned room. “Could you imagine that if we were given the resources that are required, what we can do?”
Rodriguez drew sharp contrasts between today’s fragmented landscape and the thriving theater ecosystem of 25 years ago led by pioneer Martin Quashie (Prince Yogi). During that era, theater companies collaborated closely to fill Peace Memorial Hall to overflowing capacity, sustained by mutual mentorship and institutional support.
Today, Rodriguez argued, the lack of a permanent, functional home for the arts severely curtails creative development and limits school outreach, with academic institutions frequently rationing arts instruction to half-hour fragments.
Responding from the floor, Director of Culture Maxine Browne sought to reassure the audience, affirming that efforts to establish a dedicated home for Vincentian creatives remain active and ongoing under her administration.
