THROUGH the Jubilee Theatre Festival, Guyanese were fed five weeks of rich local culture through theatre arts, exploring fifty years of memorable plays from Guyanese playwrights through the years.As the theatre festival comes to a close this weekend, play enthusiasts will be treated to two final works of theatrical art in the form of Frank Pilgrim’s Miriamy and Francis Quamina-Farrier’s Journey to Freedom.

Set to be staged tomorrow at the Theatre Guild, Kingston from 20:00hrs, Frank Pilgrim’s Miriamy surrounds the scandal that unfolds on the fictional West Indian island of St. Midas following the news that the titular character, a widow with several children, is pregnant with the island’s very first set of quintuplets, but does not know who among the five suitors is the father of the babies.
Interestingly enough, Miriamy herself never appears in the play. Instead, the plot centres on the gossip-loving town folk who are all caught up with finding out who the father is. It is of utmost importance that this mystery is solved, so as to have the two wed before the birth.
This will be the first set of quintuplets in the West Indies, and the first coloured quintuplets in the world; and having the children born out of wedlock could bring shame on the traditional St Midas people.

THE CAST
The cast for the 2016 production consists of a group of vibrant thespians, all of whom are excited to bring their originality to the play.
Among the list of actors are well-known names such as Henry Rodney, Lloyda Nicholas-Garrett, Mark Luke Edwards, Tamika Henry, Nikose Layne, Mark Kazim, Randolph Critchlow, Rushell Carroll and Mariatha Causway.

Speaking with The Buzz, Nicholas-Garrett, who plays Stella Singer, one of the lead characters in the play, stated that participation in Pilgrim’s legendary piece of work induces a feeling of great honour for all the cast members.
“This is an extremely funny, fast-paced and challenging play, and we are working hard to breathe life into this outstanding piece of work,” she said.
The actress is no stranger to the stage, having made her mark over the years in works such as Ronald Hollingsworth’s ‘83 Million Gees’ and Collette Jones-Chin’s ‘Virtue’, for which she won the Best Actress Award in the 2012 Drama Festival.
Yet, being part of this play makes her determined to do her role justice, as she sees it as nothing short of a legacy.
“I feel as though I’m part of something greater than myself… And it is almost terrifying, knowing all the performers that have staged this play before us,” Nicholas-Garrett said, adding:
“This play has charted a new course for West Indian comedy, and so I hope I can do my part justice.”
Miriamy was first staged at the Theatre Guild on September 24, 1962, and is one of the oldest plays in the festival.
The Play has been described by playwright, Al Creighton as “One of the classics of Caribbean comedy.”
On Sunday, the festival will close with Francis Quamina Farrier’s Journey to Freedom at the National Cultural Centre.