The curtains will rise at the end of this month on the fifth annual National Drama Festival.
According to a statement issued by Digicel, which has been the main sponsor since the inauguration of the festival, the event, is expected to engage over 1,000 persons, including school children, young people and adults from across Guyana.
“It gives us the opportunity to invest and maintain our mandate to foster youth and cultural development. We are once again pleased to be associated with and look forward to [the festival] since drama can be a positive way in which youths can express themselves while at the same time developing their passions,” Digicel’s Louanna Abrams was quoted as saying in the statement.
Acting Director of Culture Tamika Boatswain, representing the Department of Culture, expressed her sincere thanks to the company for its sponsorship to help the ministry promote the arts, especially in the interior regions of Guyana.
Boatswain said that investments like these are significant and hoped for continued support in the future as there is hope of taking the National Drama Festival to the international stage.
The statement said this year’s festival has seen a great response so far, with more than 49 expressions of interest from regions one, two, ten, and nine.
The National School of Theatre, Arts and Drama is hoping to get as many regions included in the Drama Festival this year, the statement added, while noting that in the coming weeks there will be outreaches to St. Cuthbert’s Mission and New Amsterdam to create more awareness about the event.
According to the statement, entries for participation in the Festival will close on October 21. The preliminaries will be held from October 30 to November 12. The school finals will be held from November 14 to November 18 at the Theatre Guild, while the adults’ finals will be from November 19 to 27 at the National Cultural Centre. Admission to all events is free.
