By Lamar Pollard
This year marks the end of a four year long journey for the Academy for the Performing Arts inaugural graduating class. During the month of May, students across the disciplines of Acting, Dance, Music and Theatre Design & Production will be presenting their final plays, theses, recitals and presentations to the faculty and the general public. The students who elected not to choose a specification in their third year, opting to gain experience in each discipline, will present a final Capstone project.
Capstone is an experiential project which utilizes the theoretical knowledge and practical experiences the students have gained during their time at the APA. It allows the students to integrate ideas and draw from the experiences of each of the disciplines they have studied, to generate new creative concepts, artistic works and business models. Led by Benny Gomes and Martin Raymond, the course spanned both semesters of the students’ final year. It involved a thorough planning process and creation of a proposal which detailed each student’s project idea. The lecturers reviewed each proposal, making suggestions and modifications before approving the projects.
The first batch of Capstone projects promises to be exciting as the students have created new musical works, theatrical concepts, educational tools and media concepts. General BFA student and popular E.D.M. deejay, Aaron Andrews has created a new album of experimental dance music incorporating the sounds and vibe of Trinidad and Tobago, while another student, Wayne Tobitt, has compiled and produced a collection of national folksongs and positive nation building songs for educational use. Wendy Thomas, another General BFA student with experience in Theatre Design and Dance, has directed and produced a short film which explores society’s connection to spirits and the supernatural. Darren ‘Gonzo’ Rudder, of Hans and Gonzo fame, has created a website aimed at offering radio imaging and marketing services for regional radio stations.
While Capstone is aimed at facilitating the synthesis of each creative discipline, it also has an entrepreneurial focus. In keeping with UTT’s mission of being an entrepreneurial university, Inshan Meajohn and Pranesh Sharma of UTT’s corporate department visited the students to assess the commercial possibilities of each project and offer advice to students on how to monetize and market their final work. The final Capstone projects will be presented on the 15th of May at the APA, from 2pm to 6pm and is open to the public.
Forging New Creative Paths
– CAPSTONE 2014 –
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ISSUE 1/MAY 2014