Ken Corsbie Caribbean Storyteller

Ken Corsbie is a master at telling stories. He started telling stories during the early 1950’s in Guyana where he grew up. As a teenager, Corsbie began crafting his talent with a creative group known back then as the “Next Door Yard.” He embraced all that the group had to offer as they participated in musical contests, started a theater group and even practiced ballet. In his early days in Guyana, Corsbie held many roles within the amateur theatre, eventually occupying the role of artistic director of the theatre. Together, Corsbie spent fifteen years within the amateur Guyana theatre. Then he went to England and spent three years studying Drama and radio/television at a college and BBC Radio/Television school. After completing his studies, Corsbie returned to Guyana and worked as a producer/announcer for four years with the Guyana radio station. While in Guyana, Corsbie produced and performed in a theatre group known as Dem Two and All Ah We. In the 1980’s Corsbie left Guyana for Barbados and spent two years working as the Regional Coordinator for the Theatre Information Exchange which is an association made up of dramatists throughout the islands. After occupying the role of Regional Coordinator, Corsbie spent more than a decade and a half working throughout the Caribbean as a solo entertainer, educator, journalist, storyteller, poetry performer, standup comedian, theatre designer and director. He directed and designed theatre in several of the islands, and narrated a 13-part documentary series on Caribbean life for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization( UNESCO). In 1994, Corsbie got married to his wife Elizabeth and moved to the United States where he permanently resides today. From his home in Sound Beach Long Island, Corsbie still travels to the Caribbean to perform frequently. In 2009, Corsbie performed “This Mango Sweet” (Recorded in Grand Cayman after opening in Guyana) in Guyana at the Theatre Guild Playhouse in Georgetown where he began his career many years before. Additionally he conducts workshops on storytelling, frequents universities, conferences and special events across the United States telling stories. Ken Corsbie is a well recognized figure in Caribbean theatre and has been graced with many outstanding achievements including the Arrow of Achievement from the Guyana Government, the Cacique Award from the Trinidad & Tobago Drama Association and an award from the Long Island traditions organization for his indelible contributions to the arts as Long Island resident. Currently, Corsbie has recorded four CDs comprised of original and traditional stories and poetry. His work has spanned decades of Caribbean life as seen through his lens. Corsbie has been able to document our unique way of life and through storytelling, he is able to remind us of who we are as Caribbean people. To learn more about this master story teller, visit www.kcorsbie.com. Long Island Traditions | Ken Corsbie West Indian Encyclopedia | Ken Corsbie Baiganchoka

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