The Theatre Guild Workshop, in honour of the Guild’s 70th anniversary year, will be staging a production reminiscent of the classic 1960s satire, “The Brink”, titled, “Re-membering The Brink: Oil and a Whole Lotta Gas”.
The production, which will debut at the Theatre Guild Playhouse tonight, promises to be “full comedy from beginning to end,” though the cast will be tackling the serious issue of Guyana’s emerging oil and gas industry, addressing important questions such as what the development of the industry will mean for the ordinary Guyanese, its impacts on the local sectors, and how Guyanese can make the best of the potential opportunities.
The programme will feature 13 comedic sketches, including two original scripts from productions staged in 1964 and 1967, along with music and dance items.
The creation of the production was reportedly in reaction to numerous calls for a theatrical response to the aformentioned issue. It was stated that the content was developed by members of the Theatre Guild Workshop, which includes 39 old and new Guild members.
“Re-membering The Brink: Oil and a Whole Lotta Gas,” is framed after one of the Theatre Guild’s historical productions, “The Brink” which emerged in the early 1960s and had its last production in the late 1970s. “The Brink” was said to have inspired The Theatre Company’s satirical series “The Link Show,” which later inspired the “Nothing to Laugh About” show.
The cast will feature veterans Godfrey Naughton, Simeon Dowding, Sharon Taylor, Colleen Humphrey and Malcolm DeFreitas, alongside new theatre stars Clinton Duncan, Mosa Telford, Keon Heywood, Jennifer Kendall, Kanini Fyffe, Frederick Minty, Kim Fernandes, Sherwin Adams and Kelton Jennings.
New talents Jairo Rodrigues, Natasha Azeez, Shivina DeMendonca, Tristana Roberts, Garrian Yannick Moses and Ronaldo Thomas are also members of the cast.
“Re-membering The Brink” will premiere tonight with a gala at the Theatre Guild Playhouse, at 8 pm. Tickets for the gala are $5,000.
Other stagings of the production are scheduled for Sunday, May 27th and Monday, May 28th. Tickets for those shows cost $1,500 and $800. There will be special matinee shows, free of cost, for children at 1pm on Tuesday, May 29th, and Wednesday, May 30th.
Tickets can be purchased at the Theatre Guild, on Parade Street in Kingston, as well as at E-Networks on Camp Street, and at Giftland Mall. Additionally, members of the cast can be contacted for ticket information, and tickets can be booked by calling 225-4033.
