GOCA successfully hosted a stage management and production masterclass designed to strengthen the technical and operational capacity of Grenada’s live entertainment, festival and performance sectors. The 10-day intensive workshop, aptly called Set the Stage, provided participants with a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical learning experiences in stage design, live sound engineering, technical coordination, musicianship, and production management.
The Set the Stage masterclass featured four integrated workshop components targeting a specific area of the live production and entertainment industry, namely: Professional Musicianship, Stage and Production Management, Live Stage Mix and Front of House Engineering, and Stage Design and Build, Lighting and Screens. “Set the Stage is one of the many ways that GOCA is responding to the evolving needs of Grenada’s entertainment sector, for which there is a growing demand for trained professionals in live production, stage management, technical coordination, sound engineering, and performance execution,” explained Ananda Johnson, GOCA’s Assistant Operations Manager. “It reflects our continued commitment to the creative economy by creating meaningful opportunities for training, mentorship, collaboration, and hands-on industry exposure which will enhance event production and professional standards within our entertainment ecosystem.”
Gabrielle LeGendre, an accomplished stage and production manager, educator, and founder of LG Stage Management, facilitated the stage management and production component of the masterclass. Commending GOCA’s deep-rooted commitment to developing the orange economy, LeGendre applauded GOCA’s investments in upskilling creative practitioners to drive the growth of the sector. “In just a few days, the participants already started detecting when things are not what they are supposed to be,” she noted. “I am looking forward to seeing their growth as they continue to invest in themselves and the general production quality of everything that Grenada has to offer grow as well.”
The other workshop components were facilitated by respected creative practitioners from Trinidad & Tobago with decades of regional and international experience. Kyle Peters, professional guitarist, musical director and co-founder of Vizion Muziq Academy, delivered the Professional Musicianship Intensive. Brennon Virgil, live sound engineer and production specialist, Kerron Patrick, live sound engineer, and Darren Forde, lighting and stage designer, led the Live Stage Mix and Front of House Engineering, and Stage Design and Build, Lighting and Screens workshops.
Creative practitioners from various areas of the live entertainment sector participated in the Set the Stage masterclass, which, as Lyndon Charles from C4 Promotions and Sh4Biz Entertainment noted, is critical for improving communication within the sector. “We are different cogs in the same wheel moving in the same direction, so we need to be speaking the same language. It is important that we do things the right way to grow the industry and so the next generation can see a viable career in it.”
Sen. the Hon. Adrian Thomas, Minister for Tourism, Creative Economy and Culture, in reiterating government’s commitment to the creative economy, emphasised the significance of the entertainment sector. “Live entertainment plays a pivotal role in the creative ecosystem. We can think of our festivals, events, shows and productions as crosscutters, linking each pillar of the creative economy. Our investment into this stage management and production masterclass, therefore, will not just benefit one sector, but result in an overall boost for our cultural and creative industries.”
Building capacity within the creative industries remains a key pillar of GOCA’s strategic focus to strengthen Grenada’s creative economy with programming developed to support creatives in their professional and entrepreneurial pursuits.
