The National Drama Association of Trinidad and Tobago is deeply saddened at the sudden passing of our President Edwin Erminy Bayley. He drowned at Grande Riviere Beach on December 31, 2018. NDATT extends its condolences to Erminy’s husband Raymer Diaz, also an NDATT member.
Erminy joined the NDATT Executive in April 2018 in the capacity of Education Officer. He was instrumental in the creation of the design exhibition Design for Performance TT (DPTT), which showcased the work of students and professional designers in all technical areas of theatre (set, costume, lighting, sound) in T&T. He was the driving force for the ongoing NDATT/UTT project DPTT, the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space (PQ) 2019 Initiative. As part of the PQ 2019 Initiative, he did workshops with refugee children for the student component – Refugee Mas. He resigned the post of Education Officer to offer himself as the NDATT President and was elected to the post in November 2018.
He was an Assistant Professor of Scenic Design at the Arts University in Venezuela from 1999 to 2013. He taught at the Academy for the Performing Arts of the UTT up to the time of his passing and is sorely missed by his students and those who interacted with him there.
NDATT Vice President and UTT colleague Marvin Ishmael said “the Arts community in Trinidad and Tobago has lost a friend, advocate, amazing designer and a man who had a vision for the design fraternity of this country. Humble in his day to day life, he demonstrated exquisite skill in his design concepts with the capacity to always see outside the box. At the Academy he brought my concepts to life in The Odyssey and oversaw his students with gentleness and passion. Words cannot express the void that now has to be filled. I wanted to be his VP at NDATT because I believed and supported his vision. He was a man who led by example, brilliant in his work, humble of heart and forever to be treasured.”
He was an architect and scenographer with a Master of Arts (with distinction) from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. Between 1984 and 2004 he was part of the creative team at the Teatro Teresa Carreño, the most important opera house in Venezuela, where he was artistic production manager and designed opera, dance and ballet productions for the theatre´s resident companies.
Erminy was the technical director of the Caracas International Festival of Theatre and the International Festival of Afro-American Traditions, and has designed over a hundred productions for theatre, opera, musicals, dance, ballet and popular music, as well as corporate, fashion and publicity events in Venezuela, Colombia, USA and Trinidad and Tobago.
Erminy made an impact on theatre in T&T since moving here in 2014 from Caracas, Venezuela. He worked with several production companies and clients, including the New Play Festival where he was the Set Designer and consultant for the past two years; the Academy for the Performing Arts of the UTT – The University of Trinidad and Tobago; Dimanche Gras; Lordstreet Theatre Company; Raymond Choo Kong Productions; The Lydians Singers; First Citizen’s Bank; and many others.
Erminy was also a prominent member of the LGBTQI community and is remembered fondly by his friends there. His Facebook page has been flooded with messages from the Venezuelan community, where he is remembered with love.
NDATT mourns the passing of Edwin Erminy. May he rest in peace.
The National Drama Association of T&T 