The Preliminary round of competition for the National Drama Festival (NDF) are well underway and even in the first week of the competition it was possible to pick up various

trends, ideas and styles that are going to define this year’s Festival. While critical reviews of the plays are important, it is, in my opinion, more important to be laudatory of anyone who even attempts to enter a play into the NDF simply because so much effort (physical and mental) is required to ensure the smooth production of a play. For this reason, in this week’s column, three of the earliest plays in NDF 2016 will be looked at, where their individual beauty and styles, and their points of merit, will be highlighted, and, therefore, Guyanese theatre celebrated.

Coma – written by Jude Idada; directed by Sonia Yarde
This play was performed on the opening night of the Festival and was definitely unique in the way it focused on three central characters, with a majority of the dialogue being spoken by two. Marisa Morgan and Randolph Critchlow play siblings whose mother (Clemencio Goddette) has been in a coma for many months. The brother has shirked all his responsibilities in Guyana and has built a life for himself overseas while the sister, ever dutiful, takes care of their mother despite not being offered the kind of love the brother receives. While it might sound uncomplicated, one must remember that it is as difficult to stage a play that has only two characters speaking for most of it as it is to stage a play with twenty characters. The play forces the audience to listen to the duo of the

characters played by Morgan and Critchlow as they fight, express love, bicker and channel all their inner rage and passion over the comatose body of their mother. The drama is an interesting one, anchored, in particular, by the very captivating performance of Marisa Morgan and the assured and confident take on the role by Randolph Critchlow.

Scheme Yard Affair – written by Runasi Perry; directed by Linden Isles
One of the merits of this play was its very earthy, very Guyanese aura which pervaded the whole drama from beginning to end. It seemed to cover everything that one would think of when one hears the term “scheme yard.” The characters that live in the yard seem to be plucked from real life and include: a prostitute, a rastaman, a homosexual, and an ever-suffering mother of many children. The play contains numerous references to things Guyanese and, therefore, should resonate well with a local audience. The script itself is quite funny and some of the actors do justice to the humour in the play. Tikoma Austin, as the prostitute, Delilah, is a good example of someone who knows the art of being funny and managed to bring near-perfect comedic timing to her lines. Should this play be chosen as one of the finalists of the NDF, then it would occupy a special niche of Guyanese theatre that really should never remain empty.

Tales of a Tortured Woman – written by Lakeisha Adams; directed by Lisa Adams
Tales of a Tortured Woman focused on sexual abuse and violence in several forms – that of a husband meting out sexual violence on his wife, the husband sexually abusing his daughter, and sexual violence between a woman and her boyfriend. The play is strong in its depiction of assault and therefore places itself in that category of plays that focus on the social ills within our society. The repercussions and long-term effects of such violence are also addressed, especially in the presentation of the main character, Emily, who because of her previous experience with sexual abuse no longer trusts men and has a difficult time forming and maintaining healthy relationships with men. The two actresses who play the older and younger versions of Emily (Althea Douglas and Noshavyah Wolcott, respectively) are both quite strong and despite separation on the stage, it always feels as though they are playing the same person in different stages of her life, as it should be.

Overall, the NDF is off to quite a grand start and there is no doubt that in the weeks to come, more plays, each special and unique in its own way, will appear and continue to feed the rising theatre movement in Guyana.