“Re-Membering The Brink – Oil and a Whole Lotta Gas” opens on May 26 at Theatre Guild

As it celebrates its 70th anniversary, the Theatre Guild – the oldest theatre in the English-speaking Caribbean – will be reopening its doors on May 26 with the grand premiere of its brand new production “Remembering The Brink: Oil and a Whole Lotta Gas” after a small hiatus for restructuring and refurbishing.

The production will, for the first time, see the arts grapple with the big questions provoked by the new oil and gas industry in Guyana, such as what might this mean for ordinary Guyanese? What changes are we likely to see? What might Guyanese do to make the best of these opportunities and, of course, what to do with the money.
Though it tackles big questions, the production still manages to be hilarious. It is styled as a comedy revue based on the Guild’s historical productions of “The Brink”, which it produced in the early 1960s prior to Guyana’s independence in 1966. “The Brink” was the Guild’s bestselling satirical review which saw its last production in the 1970s. “The Brink” is the grandfather to the Theatre Company’s highly successful series “The Link Show” and which later spawned other rib-ticklers such as “Nothing to Laugh About”.
The Theatre Guild’s production acknowledges the historic origins of its own Brink with this new production by invoking the memory and intent of it – “Re-Membering the Brink”. The producers even incorporate some old material from 1964 and 1967 in this new show. However, “Re-membering the Brink – Oil and a Whole Lotta Gas” seeks to innovate around the old idea of satire and to move towards what may be very timely and urgently necessary in Guyana: the unpacking of the complex arena of oil and gas for the populace. It may be seen as complementing but not focusing on issues which have already been in the public domain for some time. Rather its focus is on simplifying, edifying, and reflecting the present and future of Guyana not only in terms of oil but other topical issues – hence “a whole lotta gas”. The production focuses on what we can learn through fun and laughter.
“Oil and a Whole Lotta Gas” is set as the Brink shows of old, in a fictitious country named “Oiligamey”. The show was created by the Theatre Guild’s Workshop- an ensemble of 39 old and new Guild members in response to numerous calls for a popular response to the issues at hand. Thirteen rollicking comedy sketches are interspersed with music and dance pieces.
Theatre-goers will be delighted to see some of their older favourites such as Godfrey Naughton, Simeon Dowding, Sharon Taylor, Colleen Humphrey and Malcolm Defreitas, alongside new stars like Clinton Duncan, Mosa Telford, Keon Heywood, Jennifer Kendall, Kanini Fyffe, Frederick Minty, Kim Fernandes, Sherwin Adams, and Kelton Jennings. The cast also features a number of new exciting talents such as Jairo Rodrigues, Natasha Azeez, Shivina DeMendonca, Garrian Yannick Moses, and Ronaldo Thomas. The set and costumes are by award-winning designer Neilson Nurse.
“Re-membering The Brink: Oil and a Whole Lotta Gas” opens at the newly-refurbished Theatre Guild playhouse on May 26 with a premiere performance, and runs through May 29 from 20:00h each day. There will be two free matinee performances for children on May 30 and 31 underwritten by local oil company CGX Energy. Tickets are available at the Theatre Guild, Parade Street, Kingston; E-Networks (Camp St and Giftland) and from members of the production.