MCYS and Theatre Stakeholders meet on “Write to Stage” Theatre Support Programme
The Minister of Culture Youth and Sport, the Hon Charles S. Ramson, the Minister within the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport, Hon Steven Jacobs, and the leadership in the Culture department of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport met with a theatre stakeholder group to review and plan for the staging of the next productions under the Ministry’s successful “Write to Stage” Theatre Support Programme.
The programme which was initiated in 2023 by the Minister of Culture Youth and Sport, the Hon Charles S. Ramson, has already seen the successful staging of eight (Guyana Prize winning plays.
The Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport’s “Write to Stage” Theatre Support Programme seeks to produce the winning works from the Guyana Prize and to improve the quality of plays on the local stage. The initiative has enabled producers to stage plays where market forces are not propitious to allow such. A larger number of producers, actors, actresses, theatre practitioners and production stage crew are now earning from each production. In the last two years, producers and performers have earned a higher rate of income from the theatre than they had ever earned in the history of theatre in Guyana.
The plays staged to date are Sauda by Mosa Telford, Makantali by Harold Bascom, Last of the Redmen by Michael Gilkes, Father of the Man by Paloma Mohamed, Children of Baby by Mosa Telford, Requiem for the Living by Jamal La Rose, A Pleasant Career by Michael Gilkes and Don’t Ask Me Why by Rae Wiltshire.
The gathering, which included veteran and current actors, discussed the significant development of the quality of the productions since the introduction of the programme and everyone committed to working together to ensure the success of the industry despite the challenges of the market for theatre plays.
The third play for this year will be staged in November. Patrons can also look forward to come 2026, a rich tapestry of performances featuring the winning poetry and non-fiction works from the Guyana Prize.
