Director of Studies at National School of Drama and Theatre Arts Al Creighton said the National Drama Festival is in a unique position of leadership in drama in the Caribbean, even as it continues to expand countrywide.
Creighton said that while the Link Show is an important aspect that represents that position of leadership, the national festival itself is unique because of its structure and developmental component which has seen a surge of new plays that contributes to the continued life of drama in Guyana.
The Ministry of Culture opened the fourth National Drama Festival at the National Cultural Centre on Sunday. Twenty-eight dramatic plays from full length to one act, junior and debutante – along with performances from several secondary schools are expected to be staged this year, another indication of the growing success of the programme, a press release from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport said.
Minister Dr Frank Anthony recalled that the festival was established in response to a call from artists and writers for a space to showcase their work. Since then, it has grown and the quality of plays, writing and directing of dramatic pieces has increased. The plays have also provided a new way to highlight social issues.
Dr Anthony said he is pleased that the festival has attracted a large number of persons to the National School of Drama and Theatre Arts, noting it has been flooded with applications. However, he cautioned that emerging and professional groups still need to be registered as a business.
Meanwhile, Director of the school Collette Jones-Chin said despite the uncertainties which spilled over from last year’s festival, team members have cleared every hurdle and are now in the middle of the race, heading for victory. Further, she noted that in reply to a query about why a drama festival was so important in a society where persons are struggling to make a living she referenced ancient Greece where drama was used to highlight human behaviour. It brought people together to see the truth about life and their social situation, she said, noting that it is important for a nation to understand its history from social to economic trends. Drama recorded the patterns of cultural change, brought communities together and broadened cultural horizons.
Further, Jones-Chin commended the ministry for contributing to the enhancement of Guyana’s cultural image and identity through a mentorship programme established in 2013 under the purview of the school. To date, about 30-45 mentors from across five regions have been trained and certified. Now in its second year, the mentorship programme has progressed, though there remains room for improvement. Also, stemming from outreaches to Berbice, Mahaica, Mahaicony, Linden, West Demerara, the Essequibo Islands and Coast, and Georgetown, 19 new groups were registered.
In order to ensure that new groups are prepared to participate in next year’s festival, mentors will be deployed across country from January. In the meantime, it is hoped that the groups will stage plays in communities to provide edutainment.
According to the ministry, some of the participants in this year’s festival are Horizon Arts production, Surmounting Thespians, Centre Stage Productions, Mabaruma Heritage Community, Mahaica Youth in Progress, and several secondary schools such as Berbice High School, Annandale Secondary and President’s College.
The ministry also lauded the continued support of main sponsor Digicel Guyana. Admission to the festival is free, the ministry said.
