Minister of Youth, Culture and Sport, Dr Frank Anthony visited the Theatre Guild Playhouse in Kingston on Monday afternoon at the request of the trustees to view the progress in construction.
The minister was taken on a tour of the considerably enlarged building by civil engineer Bert Carter, who is in charge of the project. He showed the Minister all the new features of the building including the balcony. The lighting system which was specially manufactured for the playhouse in accordance with expert advice is due to arrive from Miami. The state of the art sound system is already here and will soon be installed. It is expected that a technician will come to Guyana from Miami to commission the lighting system when it is ready.
The Chairman of the Trustees, David de Caires, told the minister that the budget for the renovations had expanded substantially beyond the original $32 million. He said that over $42 million had been received in cash from donors are well as over $9 million in materials like paint and stone. In addition Carter had made no charge for his extensive services. He estimated that the real commercial cost of the project is in excess of $65 million if all of this is factored in.
In a short speech Minister Anthony said that since his last visit a lot of work had been done. He pointed out that the revival of the Theatre Guild and the legacy behind it was something to be passed on to the younger generation.
De Caires asked the minister to raise with the cabinet the question of a further grant to enable the completion of the job and the minister undertook to do so. The playhouse will be one of the prime venues for Carifesta.
