Dear Editor,
Last night (22nd March, 2026) I attended an absolutely magnificent performance presented by the National Drama Company (NDC) of the National School of Theatre, Arts and Drama promoted as “Musings of a Poet IV”, described as an “evening of wine and theatre”.
The top floor of the National Cultural Centre, usually used for the purpose of holding receptions for stage performances, was converted into a small stage for a seated audience, the intended and successful purpose was to create an intimate setting, bringing the audience closeup to the actors.
“Musings of a Poet IV”, in my view, was misleading as a description of what I was privileged to witness. This was not actors reciting poetry, anything but. The Executive Director, Al Creighton Jr., describes the show as “a unique form of theatre performance”. It was most certainly that. The poems, conceived and written by the performers themselves, were presented in drama, music, song, dance, intriguing set designs and theatre in all its forms, by the very best of our artists, many young and some not so young, but each one quite brilliant.
Though presented as “Musings of a Poet IV”, what I saw and immensely enjoyed, was storytelling in poetry, dramatically expressing the thoughts, the emotions, the joy, the anger, the frustrations and the disappointments of ordinary people living everyday ordinary lives but displayed with extraordinary force and fire.
These were stories in verse about “life in de country”, about being born into poverty and asking why and who is to blame, about blasphemy, about having an opinion and not being afraid to express it, about amnesia, not knowing who I am but knowing what I am, about the death of masquerade, about sin and about games we shouldn’t play. In the Director’s Mark Luke-Edwards’ words “a theatrical experience that represents an intriguing journey fueled by a roller coaster of emotions morphed into a spectacle.”
Credit for this truly tremendous show must also go to the Confucius Institute of UG, whom Al Creighton Jnr. incorporated into the performance.
It is not my practice nor my profession as a writer, to write about theatre, even though I am married to a Theatre Producer of no ordinary means. I, however, decided to write this letter, not only because the exceptional performance deserves public recognition, but, sadly, because it was not recognized nor attended at the level it should have been by the leadership of our country, both in government and in the opposition. An entire front row of chairs was reserved for Ministers and VIPs. None came. This was extremely disappointing to me, most especially, now that our President himself has embraced Guyana the “Orange Economy”.
What I and all those who were there last Sunday night were privileged to attend, was a performance on stage by all who were involved, worthy of a Hollywood Oscar and a New York Broadway Venue.