The 11th Annual Philip Sherlock Distinguished Lecture will be presented on Thursday, February 26 at 5:30 p.m. by renowned Trinidadian theatre artiste, Rawle Gibbons. The lecture is the highlight of the Philip Sherlock Centre’s 36th Anniversary Celebrations, presented this year in honour of Prof. Errol Hill, The University’s first Staff Tutor in Drama. Professor Hill is perhaps best known for his promotion of Carnival Theatre, an area in which Gibbons has continued to do significant work. This year's lecture will focus on sources of contemporary Caribbean theatre practice. Rawle Gibbons, director, playwright and lecturer, is currently Head and Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Creative and Festival Arts, UWI St. Augustine Campus.
Gibbons has spent decades in the formal and informal study of the theatre arts, and has a Master of Philosophy Degree with research on “Theatrical Enactments in Trinidad”. His publications include A Calypso Trilogy (“Ten to One”, “Ah Wanna Fall” and “Sing de Chorus”), Towards 2002 – Models for Multi-Cultural Education, and No Surrender – A Biography of the Growling Tiger. Beyond his work in theatre he has written and spoken on ‘Pan African Aesthetics’, the Orisha tradition and its influence on popular arts in Trinidad and Tobago and the relevance of African religion today. His creative ability speaks for itself. His plays have won numerous awards. In his roles as Chief Examiner on the Caribbean Examination Council, and adjudicator of the Secondary Schools Drama Festival in Trinidad and Tobago, he contributes to the future development of the arts.
Gibbons will join a list of distinguished Caribbean scholars who have presented the Philip Sherlock Lecture in the past, including Kamau Brathwaite, Barry Chevannes, Erna Brodber, Olive Lewin and Prof. Rex Nettleford, Director of the Centre and Chairman of the University’s Cultural Studies Initiative.