Women directors dominated last Friday night when the awards for the fourth National Drama Festival were handed out at the National Cultural Centre.
Dubbed ‘The Night of Stars’, the event saw women winning the ‘Best Director’ accolade in four of the five categories where the prize was awarded.
In the Open Full Length Category, Mariatha Causway was awarded Best Director for her treatment of Shattered Dreamz.
In the Open Short or One Act Category, Ayanna Waddell was accredited the award for Best Director for Guilty Pleasures.
In the Debutante Category, it was Nicola Moonsammy, who was awarded is the Best Director for her work in Chupucabra.
In the Schools Category, there was a tie for Best Director which saw Melinda Primo-Solomon and Felice Rosario-Monroe sharing the award for directing Her Story with Tamika Wilson who directed Anansi’s Way.
The lone male Best Director award went to Nickose Layne for his treatment of What If, a play he also wrote and starred in. Nickose, an emerging young talent, also picked up a slew of other awards that evening.
Meanwhile, in the Open Full Length Category, Till Ah Find a Place 3, produced by the H & T Theatre Arts Group won awards for Best Production, Best Costume and Best Set Design and Use, Best Light Design and Use.
Colour of Race by the Queen of Arts Productions won the awards for Best Use of Sound and Best Performing Cast.
Sheron Cadogan-Taylor’s Shattered Dreamz won the award for Best New Guyanese Stage play; it was the only play nominated.
Nickose took home the award for Best Actor for his performance in Shattered Dreamz. The Best Supporting Actor award went to Paul Budnah for Till Ah Find a Place 3. Meantime, Colour of Race’s Marissa Morgan-Bonie and Oceanna Hoppie won the awards for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress.
In the Open Short or One Act Category, Guilty Pleasures, produced by the Lady of the Moon, won the awards for the Best Production, Best Set Design and Use, Best Use of Lights and the Best New Guyanese Stage play.
Best Use of Sound and Best Performing Cast were awarded to Beaten, put on by Queen of Arts Production.
Jamal LaRose from Beaten was awarded Best Actor in this category, while awards for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress went to Esther Hamer and Jasmine Wong respectively for their performances in Guilty Pleasures.
Johan David took the Best Supporting Actor award for his role in Decadence.
Beaten received the Best Costume award.
In the Debutante Category Chupucabra, performed by the New Opportunity Corps won the awards for Best Production, Best Costume, Best Set Design and Use, Best Use of Lights, Best Use of Sound and the Best Performing Cast.
The Best New Guyanese Stage play award was won by Kelvin Gitten’s Trafficking – Why me Lord?
Denzil St Hill was awarded Best Actor for his performance in Sins of My Mother with the Best Supporting Actor being Leandre Nelson for Trafficking – Why Me Lord?
The Best Actress award went to Sins of My Mother’s Monika Pilgrim and the award for Best Supporting Actress was accredited to Lisa Ramnarine for Chupucabra.
In the Junior Category, What If, produced by Centre Stage Productions won awards for Best New Guyanese Stage play, Best Use of Sound, Best Costumes and the Best Production.
Summer Breeze by Isleshire was awarded for Best Set Design and Use, Best Use of Lights and the Best Performing Cast.
Nickose, Gerard Gilkes and Candacy Baveghems were awarded Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Actress respectively for their performances in Summer Breeze. The Best Supporting Actress award went to Kimberly Fernandes for What If.
In the Schools Category, the award for Best Production, Best Set Design and Use and Best Performing Cast went to President’s College for its production of Anansi’s Way.
Death of a Songbird produced by the Institute of Business Education was awarded the prize for Best Use of Lights and Chupucabra by the Berbice High School won for Best Use of Sound and Best Costume.
Deon Abrams’ A Dramatic Turn of Events/ Procrastination was the winner of the Best New Guyanese Stage play.
The Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor awards went to Omar Anderson and Noland Braithwaite respectively for Sins of the Father. Meanwhile, Mafeesa Fletcher and Cheville Prince won Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress awards for their roles in Right Under Yuh Nose.