The finals of the National Drama Festival was last night launched after a week long preliminary that saw the performance of 66 plays. These plays ranged differing from genres and target audiences and after some rigorous judging, the finalists were chosen. The competition, hosted by the National School of Theatre Arts and Drama is not the first of its kind in Guyana but is a tradition on which small changes have been made to fit the setting this year.
Last evening, the event kicked off in the presence of a lively audience including Minister Nicolette Henry, head of the Department of Culture, Youth and Sports, a representative from Digicel, a panel of distinguished judges, among others. Speeches were given and the event was officially declared open by Minister Henry just in time for the first full length play to be performed. This was, a performance of ‘Til I Find A Place,’ no stranger to Guyanese theatre but still engaging nonetheless.
This year the finals, through the support of the Ministry of Education and sponsorship of Digicel, will feature 23 different plays, which will all vie for the top position in their specific genre.
The plays will all be held at the National Cultural Centre beginning at 18:00 hrs from tonight, up until the 27th of this month. Admission is free.
The plays to look forward to tonight include:
- Tenement Yard- Written and Directed by Jemima Holmes
- Garden of Bitter Weeds- Written by Lloyd Thomas and Directed by Sonia Yarde
- Obeah Koksen- Written by Ken Danns and Directed by Sonia Noel
Look out for tomorrow’s list…..
