Reconnection of a theatre and a play

When Moon on A Rain-bow Shawl returns to the Theatre Guild of Guyana’s Play-house in Kingston on November 7, it will be a rewarding reconnection between the oldest and most established theatre in Guyana and one of the most established foundation plays of the West Indies.  They were both created in 1957 and both have made extremely important contributions to different areas of theatre in the Caribbean and its development.

The Theatre Guild has now resumed full, normal operations after a long fallow period, rising back to life out of the ashes of its former glory, resurrected on the same rock on which it had burnt itself.  Its founding constitution in January, 1958 states its aims as, among other things, “to sponsor and support productions of Guianese, West Indian and International plays of the highest possible standards; to promote the writing of local plays; (and) to encourage the development of the theatre in all its aspects in British Guiana.”

In the half century since these vows were made it has achieved those aims and more.  Except for that intervening period when it fell to ruin, it has been a lively stage for the world’s theatre, caused the development of Guyanese playwriting and Guyanese theatre in the modern era, and provided theatre training both formally and informally.  It even exceeded its British Guiana mandate and performed some of these functions for the wider Caribbean as well, mostly through the export of talent.

Since returning to the frontline in May, 2008, it has already hosted several productions including, very appropriately, a number of West Indian plays during Carifesta X.  With Moon on a Rainbow Shawl it has settled back into offering international drama in addition to being, once again, a training ground.  This is so for two reasons. This production, directed by Ron Robinson, comes out of the still fabled Training Programme in Technical Theatre that helped produce personnel for Carifesta.

Also, the production was inspired by the “test piece” productions at the end of that training programme and makes use of some of the talent and trained personnel that came out of it.  The second reason is that immediately following this play, the Guild will again be holding formal classes in the form of a workshop series for children culminating in a children’s Christmas play.

Linked to that history and that kind of contribution is the play Moon on A Rainbow Shawl itself.  It was written by Trinidadian dramatist Errol John, who established himself as one of the major West Indian playwrights in the 1950s.  Like so many other leading West Indian writers, he migrated to England where he continued his career, working as an actor and extending his activities into film.  John is best known for the work he did in the rise of that category of Caribbean drama known as the theatre of “the backyard” or “yard theatre.”  This was a development out of the 1940s, deepening roots and solidifying in the ’50s moving into the ’60s.  In the earlier stages the movement’s main characteristic was laughter arising out of situations in the backyards or tenement yards involving the region’s colourful slum dwellers.  This quickly took shape to include tragic elements and more meaningful study of the situations through such playwrights as Errol Hill, Douglas ‘Jack’ Archibald and Errol John.

This movement came mostly out of Trinidad, the country in which the play Moon is set.  This is vintage West Indian drama, one of the best known works and one that has been among the most frequently performed around the islands.  This production in Guyana is directed by Ron Robinson, one of the famous graduates of the Guild who went on to become its Chairman.  He now returns to give further service.  He will have in his cast and production team many of the graduates of the Carifesta Technical Theatre Training for which he was one of the tutors.  The play was actually performed by the trainees as their final assignment and this Guild production is making use of some of the better graduates.

John builds Moon on a very firm grounding in humour and comic portrayals, so that it is very well known around the Caribbean region as a funny play and this accounts for most of its immense popularity.  One of the most celebrated and favourite comic characters is the prostitute Mavis, played here by Tishandra Inniss, with another comic role provided by her fiancé Prince, an empty-headed opportunist whose name is ironic, played by Timothy Millington.  One of the strong characters in the play is the martyred matriarch, Sophie Adams played by Rudo Blair, who also provides much of the laughter sometimes in her clashes with Mavis.

But working along with the use of humour, are the serious studies that the play makes through the characters and situations.  Sophie Adams, herself, is a kind of tragic study, while the drama’s major tragic figure is Charlie Adams, her husband played by Lionel White.  The Port of Spain society at the time in which the play is set is brought under scrutiny and the limitations dramatized, thus the use of the satiric elements along with those of pathos and commentary.  The cast includes a number of others including Nirmala Narine, playing one of the female victims of the times and Denise Hopkinson, who is also the Production Manager.

Moon on A Rainbow Shawl will run from Saturday, November 7 through November 8 and 9.  Although the Guild is back in full flow, its survival depends on the success of this production since it aims to raise funds to sustain the Playhouse.

Children’s
workshop

In addition to hosting performances, the Theatre Guild is also going to swing back into its training function, starting with children.  Because, even before opening night for the play, the institution will begin its ‘Tots Performance Workshop’ which will run from November 1 to December 18, 2008.

This workshop will end with a Christmas stage production, a children’s play called Eeney Meeny Miny Mo  by Paloma Mohamed, to be performed December 15-18.

There will be two workshops.  One is for children aged 4-7 years held on Saturdays 10.30-11.30 am and conducted by Paloma Mohamed.  The other is for 8-11 year-olds held Saturdays at 12 noon -1 pm and conducted by Desiree Wyles-Ogle.

The tuition cost is $ 4,000 for the entire workshop and this is also a venture which, while performing its educational function, is another effort to provide funds to run the Guild.