The National Drama Association of Trinidad and Tobago (NDATT) elected a new executive body on November 24 at its Annual General Meeting. The new Executive Committee will hold office until 2021.

The persons elected were outgoing Secretary Safa Niamat-Ali as President, outgoing Area Representative, East (Acting) Peter Craig as Vice President and former Public Relations Officer (PRO) Paula Lindo as Secretary. Treasurer Kirt Davis was reelected to the position. Samara Lallo was elected to the post of PRO, Leslie-Ann Beckles as Education Officer and Area Representative, South Geneva Drepaulsingh was reelected to the position.

The positions of Assistant Secretary, Resource Development Officer, and Area Representatives for North, East and Tobago are still to be filled, and a by-election will be held to fill these posts at a date to be announced.

NDATT is a collective of professional and amateur theatre practitioners who are committed to the development of the theatre industry in Trinidad and Tobago. Incorporated under Act No. 33 of 1989, NDATT, a non-profit organisation founded in 1980 by James Lee Wah, is the first and only statutory body that represents the interests of theatre in T&T.

Outgoing President Marvin Ishmael was out of the country in Toronto. Former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Culture and former NDATT President, Dr. Lester Efebo Wilkinson, chaired the meeting in his absence. He said “I think those who are here should be commended for holding the fort and for doing what needs to be done to keep the organization afloat. Filling these positions will enable the business of the Association to continue and ensure that James Lee Wah’s legacy going back to 1980 can be fully realized.”

Incoming President Safa Niamat-Ali said the new members of the Executive Committee are a  young, vibrant, energetic and passionate group and she is looking forward to working with them. “I was elected as Secretary during the revitalization of NDATT in 2017. During my tenure, the NDATT had been invited to and participated in numerous stakeholder consultations on matters relating to the cultural sector. We have acquired a physical space, not only serving as an office, but also a venue that generates additional income – a theatre space that allowed the NDATT to host Dramatic Readings during the CARIFESTA XIV and the Annual New Play Festival 2019. With this new Committee and the input of our membership, I believe there is much more we can accomplish together to make NDATT a leading organisation in the cultural sector and to groom the next generation of theatre arts professionals.”