Wordsmiths

Arts-in-Action’s Wordsmiths is a writing and performance making programme developed in 2008 for young people aged 13-19. Initiated and co-ordinated by Camille Quamina, the programme was developed as a response to the popularity of the spoken word art form among local youths, and Arts-in-Action’s own interest in  establishing programmes that facilitated the talents and inputs of young people.

In but three short years the Wordsmiths have had a number of noteworthy achievements. In 2008, the young poets were quarter finalists at the Brave New Voices, an international youth poetry slam and festival, as well as finalists in the same festival’s Green Speak competition in 2008 and 2009. By 2009, the company produced its first spoken-word-theatre production titled, “I’m Not Who You Think I Am”, revolutionizing the style of young people’s theatre and spoken word performance in Trinidad and Tobago. For 2010, the Wordsmiths began work on “RepatriHaiti”, a writing response to the Haitian earthquake crisis of 2010. Later that year the group supported the Mount D’or Cultural Performers, developing “RepatriHaiti” as a full theatre production, going all the way to a victory in the Folk Theatre category of the Prime Minister’s Best Village Trophy Competition.

For more information on the Wordsmiths contact wordsmiths@artsinaction.org or click here to visit the Wordsmiths’ blog.