The staging of the production Expressions 2 by GEMS Theatre Produc-tions directed by Gem Madhoo-Nascimento at the Theatre Guild Playhouse on November 9 drew attention to a number of factors arising from the current range of dramatic and poetic performance in Guyana at present. There is variety; a bit more than in the recent past, and there is variation also in quality, some of which is tied to the different types being performed. Much of this was evident in the range of items presented by Expressions 2.
This was the third production of Expressions for the year, in what seems to be a continuing series. It is primarily a ‘poetry’ production; it started off originally as the staging of poetry readings, but very quickly it transcended readings and graduated to the performance of poetry. As it was in the beginning, persons presented and read selections of poems that interested them, showcasing some of the established Guyanese poetry as well as some poetic and dramatic extracts from the classics of world literature, including Shakespeare. But the theatrical setting of this prompted the programme to become more of staged readings developing to the point where by the second and third editions there was almost a universal effort to perform the pieces.
It is largely because of this that the production turned out to be a useful reflection of the range and variety of forms and types being performed in Guyana. And also relevant to this is the way the