Performance Art & Identity:Archetypes from the traditional masquerade in Trinidad and Tobago.

Dwayne White Jr. is a theatre activist who has been gracing proscenium stages and screens since 2003. With Arts education at the helm of his artistic ambitions, his involvement with Arts-in-Action as an artist facilitator since 2015, stands as testimony to his belief in arts for social change. As an accomplished performance artist and artistic content creator , Dwayne has served as a drama tutor for above 10 years, educating individuals at the primary, secondary and tertiary educational level, and in communities. Some of his most notable works include workshops at the home for the elderly in Tobago , which involved storytelling as a tool to strengthen motor skills, and mas pedagogy among youths. Masquerade traditional forms, mas construction and wire bending are critical components of Dwayne’s knowledge stock and teaching capabilities. Performance art and the use of popular theatre are his ongoing career aspirations. He believes that the arts is a tool we utilize to heal, bring forward change and socio-cultural awareness and intends to invest his life’s work to do the same. Currently Dwayne is employed with the Tobago Performing Arts Company (TPAC) as a drama/theatre resident where he also explore other disciplines such as movement and music.

“ Personifying the imagination is one way to unlock creativity. But the constant in-betweenity makes me question…are we archetypes of the mas or is the masquerade an archetype of us?”