Nine plays crafted by new playwrights will be showcased for the first time at the One-Act Festival set for July 6-8 at the Theatre Guild Playhouse, said a press release from Merundoi, the local radio serial drama.
The plays are “Ensnared” – Shana Fraser; “Imprisoned” – Nirmala Narine; “While God Watched” – Lloyda Garrett; “Precious Commodity” – Esprene Liddell; “In her Quest for Love” – Faith-Ann Chester Inniss; “The Colour of Race” – Sonia Yarde; “Paradox” – Jamal LaRose; “Till Death” – Tashandra Inniss; and “Dancing In Circles” – Roseanne Taitt.
According to the release, audiences can look forward to being thoroughly entertained with this powerful lineup of plays.
Three plays will be shown each day and tickets will be available at the Merundoi Office, telephone 218-3417/1521 and Theatre Guild Playhouse, telephone 225-4033.
One daily ticket costs $800, which covers viewing of as many as three of the One-Act plays.
In an effort to bring about improved theatre in Guyana, the Inter-American Develop-ment Bank (IADB) and the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) funded collaboration between Merundoi Incorporated and the Theatre Guild of Guyana which resulted in the successful completion of the “Youth Development for Cultural Preservation” project, which facilitated the graduation of new talents in dramatic presentations.
The project, which saw the graduation of 65 youths between the ages of 15 and 30 years, concluded with a closing ceremony on May 8 this year.
The release said further that “this rewarding project encourages improved strides in theatre in Guyana, and the Festival is an awesome way to showcase Guyanese culture through what we do well, and that is TELL THE STORY.”
Local theatre, the release noted, has come a long way and with funding agencies like the IADB and CYP, much talent is being unlocked in the areas of powerful dramatic presentations.
According to the release, “Ensnared” is an emotional piece about letting go of one’s past in order to move forward; “Imprisoned” is a thought provoking play about overcoming trauma experienced in family relationships; “While God Watched” is an act showcasing the challenges with living a holy life while trying to find one’s identity; “Precious Commodity” is a play about recognizing what is important in life; “In Her Quest for Love” is a comedy about things we miss while we boast about the things we have; “The Colour of Race’ is a play about love and race; “Paradox” is an act that shows that life is full of paradoxes, but it remains LIFE (Love and Insanity, Faith and Eternity); “Till death” is a play about the effects of domestic violence; and “Dancing in circles” is a comedy about misunderstandings which lead to a lot of disasters
The teams, filled with passionate young people who are now graduated producers, set and lighting design crew, front of house, stage managers, costume and make-up artists, are all newly-trained and will be showcasing their talents for the first time along with the playwrights and directors.
They all wish to individually prove themselves capable in their area of choice but team-up to put on the best festival for the public, the release added.
