Montserrat-born David Edgecombe has written over a dozen plays which have been staged throughout the Caribbean, in Canada, and in Nigeria. His plays, whether humorous or dramatic, take a subtle yet acute look at Caribbean domestic life, politics, and social issues. He has been creating Caribbean Theatre since 1973. His first play, the comedy For Better For Worse was first produced by the Montserrat Theatre Group as part of the Alliouagana Arts Festival, Montserrat, on July 18, 1973, at the University Center.
His plays have been published in various formats primarily as collections. Now, in conjunction with CaribbeanReads Publishing, he has embarked on a project to release a book for each play. Each book will begin with a preface which chronicles the journey Professor Edgecombe made in the writing and production of the play. As a collection, the prefaces will help to serve as one perspective on the history of Caribbean Theatre.
 |
Wayne and Cynthia are putting everything on the line to win the prize money in a dance competition being held at a discotheque called Heaven. But two far more powerful men, Sam Drummonds and Tony Thompson with his wife Dilys are also in Heaven weaving their own plans for Cynthia. Deception, temptations, revelations, and pain run amok in Heaven leaving none unscathed.
|
 |
In Lady of Parham we meet five revelers who have come together to form a Carnival troupe but settle for dramatizing the tale of the Parham ghost. Legend has it that in Antigua in the late 1650s, the beautiful Sarah Rumsey murdered Thomas Flynn, her husband’s uncle, to take control of the wealth he had planned to use to educate Antigua’s slaves. Sarah died in a mysterious fire shortly after and since then her ghost has haunted Parham Village looking for someone worthy to tell where she hid the gold. Only when Uncle’s treasure is put to good use will her soul finally know peace. In the telling of the story, Justin, Tulip, Sauna, Kyle, and Mabel must confront the demons that threaten to derail their lives. |
 |
When Sandra and Derek insist that they will raise their soon-to-be-born child out of wedlock, they find out how tough life can be for the defiant. Their arguments about the irrelevance of marriage in a modern world come up against the views of Sandra’s religious mother and Derek’s politician father who are armed to the teeth with custom and conventional wisdom. In this vibrant comedy, Edgecombe pokes fun at the conflicts that result when one group insists on society-standards which they themselves are unwilling to respect. |
 |
Bernice, Estelle, Dots, Boysie, and Henry all moved from the Caribbean to Toronto in search of a better life. Together they weather the ‘storms of fortune,’ but when Henry aspires to be a poet the others ridicule him. It is the strength of their friendships that will determine who swims and who sinks in strong currents. Strong Currents is produced in tribute to Austin Clarke, originally from Barbados who became on of Canada’s foremost authors. Clarke died on June 26, 2016 in Toronto. |
 |
Coming in 2018
The play Hubert Harrison takes readers on a tour of the first half of Harrison’s political career through the eyes of two young people from St. Croix. Tafari is an artist and autodidact who has studied Hubert Harrison. He introduces a young woman, Mya to Harrison by offering her a book on his life. |