Francis Quamina Farrier: An active force in modern local drama

One of the very important plays in the post-Independence literature of Guyana is being shown at the Theatre Guild Playhouse this weekend. The drama holds a prominent place because of its author and his distinguished role in the history of modern Guyanese drama as well as its pioneering position as a Guyanese radio serial turned into a stage play that reflects the state and emergence of Guyanese post-colonial drama and literature in the immediate post-Independence period of the sixties and seventies.

The Tides of Susanburg was written by Francis Quamina Farrier, who deserves to be honoured for his role in the development of modern Guyanese drama and his positioning as an elder statesman in the local theatre. Tributes have been paid to him along the way. The highest has been the Medal of Service conferred on him by the Guyanese nation for his “years of contribution to theatre in Guyana.” In 2008 he was honoured by the Guyana Cultural Association responsible for the annual Guyana Folk Festival. This institution based in New York staged Farrier’s humorous play What You Don’t Know Could Kill You in New York as part of their Carifesta celebration in Brooklyn and their annual Wordsworth McAndrew Awards for that year.

Farrier, who currently commutes between Guyana and the USA, was also honoured by the New York State Senate in August 2007 as “a shining example of Guyanese cultural achievement in the field of the written and spoken word.” He also completed courses such as the BA Performance Arts at the University of Middlesex in 1982, and the Press and Information Techniques