National Drama Festival winners awarded

AMIDST soaring excitement and deafening euphoria at the National Cultural Centre on Monday, the Winners of the National Drama Festival 2017 Awards were announced and literally millions of dollars – both in cash prizes and trophies were presented to the deserving participants.

Prizes were presented in three categories: Junior, Open Short and Open Full Length.

JUNIOR WINNERS

In the Best Production category, three prizes were awarded: First Place was won by ‘Hidden Secrets’; Second place by ‘Daddy I am a Boy’ and third place by ‘Letters from Father’.
Overall, in the junior Category,‘Hidden Secrets’ swooped up four of the eight prizes up for grabs.

While emerging winner of first place position in the Best Production category, it was also the sole winner in ‘Best Director’ category, won by Thowanie Thom; ‘Best use of lights’ and ‘Best use of sound’ and ‘Best Supporting Actress’, won by Shantel Mc Lean.

‘Daddy I am a Boy’. Apart from winning second place position for the ‘Best Production’ category, ‘Daddy I am a Boy’ secured three other awards, amassing a total of four, namely: ‘Best New Guyanese Play’; ‘Best Actor’ won by Daniel Bissoon and ‘Best Supporting Actor’ won by Troni Semple.

Meanwhile, the Junior ‘Best Performing Cast’ was won by ‘Next Door Neighbour’, while ‘Best Actress’ went to ‘Letters from Father’ and was received by Jemima Holmes.

OPEN SHORT
In the Open Short Category, the popular ‘Black Clothes’ demonstrated its mettle by making a convincing sweep of nine of the 12 awards in that category. The prizes won were: First Prize for Best Production; ‘Best Costume’; ‘Best Set’; ‘Best use of lights’; ‘Best use of sound’; ‘Best Director’ which went to Sonia Yarde; ‘Best Actress which went to Marissa Ann Bonie; ‘Best Supporting Actor’ received by Sean Dudnah; and ‘Best Supporting Actress’ received by Martina HO A LIM.

And still in the ‘Open Short’, rivals ‘Spit’ had to their credit the second place position in the ‘Best Production’ category, while chalking up three other trophies namely for: ‘Best Actor’ won by Leon Cummings; ‘Best Performing Cast’; and ‘Best New Guyanese Play’.

OPEN FULL LENGTH
Meanwhile, in the ‘Open Full Length’ Category, ‘Children of Baby’ had a field day, winning six of the 12 prizes up for grabs. That entry claimed the first prize for Best Production, then went on the win five others, namely: Best Director, Kojo Mc Pherson; Best Set; Best use of lights: Best use of sound; Best New Guyanese Play; and Best Supporting Actress which went to Kimberly Fernandes.

The other two top prizes for ‘Best Production’ in the Open Full-Length Category went to Benjie Darling (Second place) and Third place to ‘Woman In Law’
Other prize winners were: Benjie Darling winning ‘Best Costume’; ‘Best Performing Cast’; ‘Best Actor’, which went to Clinton Duncan and BEST Actress, going to Simone Dowding.
And the Open Full Length ‘Best Supporting Actor’ award was won by ‘Woman In Law’ and received by Rovindra Persaud.

In the Junior Category the Best Production received $450,000; The First Runner-Up received $250,000, while the second-runner-up received $150,000; and to the very talented writer of the ‘Best New Guyanese Play’ in the Junior Category received an award of $200,000.