Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jan 11, 2015 News
Said to be a phenomenal solo-show that encapsulates the life of a typical Guyanese girl who migrates to the United States, ‘Demerara Gold’ is scheduled for at least five performances in the coming days – January 15 – 19, 2015.
And if the accounts of those who have seen it are to be accepted, it is definitely a must-see for those with a passion for drama.
An absolutely enthralling account of the show was recently reported on by Voices of NY, Melissa Noel. The journalist, who was present at a hosting of the show at the Starlite Pavilion in Richmond Hill, Queens, on December 21, 2014, perhaps captured every dramatic moment in her interesting article ( http://www.voicesofny.org/2015/01/guyanese-artist-tells-immigrants-story).
She writes: “Demerara Gold is a glimpse of the Caribbean immigrant experience brought to the stage in a one-woman play.”
As both the writer and star of the play, actress Ingrid Griffith, said, during an interview with Noel, that the play is based on “an immigrant story that can resonate with everyone in our world. It’s about what one gains and what one loses for relocating and going after something that’s better.”
It first premiered at the 2014 Midtown International Theatre festival in Manhattan last summer. It was the first time a play about Guyana was among those selected for the festival. ‘Demerara Gold’ was so popular that all shows were sold out and an additional show had to be added.
Griffith has since performed at theatres throughout New York City, in front of both Caribbean and non-Caribbean audiences.
At her most recent performance in the Richmond Hill section of Queens, also known as “Little Guyana,” audience members could be heard laughing out loud and remarking, “hilarious” and “yes, now that’s real Guyanese style”, Noel captured in her article published on January 5, 2015.
She intimates too that “One of the biggest compliments Griffith has gotten and won’t soon forget is being referred to as the ‘Guyanese Whoopi Goldberg.’”
But according to Noel, beyond the laughs, this play teaches people about the rich history and culture of Guyana. Alluding to the purposeful name of the play, Noel writes that “Demerara is the Arawak word for river” while “Gold is mentioned often throughout the show because of its importance in Guyanese culture.”
Griffith goes on to share with Noel that gold is a symbol of pride and status. “Any Guyanese person will tell you that they believe Guyana gold is the most distinct and the finest in the world.”
“Every kid has a ring on their finger. If nothing else they are wearing a piece of gold,” Griffith said.
Based on Griffith’s childhood, ‘Demerara Gold’ gives insight into the expectations that many have of what life in America is like and the impact immigration has on personal identity and families.
According to an official release for the show “If fine theatre is magic, then Demerara Gold, Ingrid Griffith’s one-woman show, now touring in Guyana, is pure alchemy – the mythical practice of turning ordinary substances into gold.”
It is a story about the unconquerable spirit of a seven-year-old Guyanese girl left in the care of two grandmothers. When she finally arrives in America to reunite with her parents, Ingrid finds a father railing at “this blasted life” as he lashes out at his family and a mother wrestling with her disappointments and a family secret. That’s when Ingrid discovers her true birthright.
Ingrid Griffith plays no less than eighteen characters in Demerara Gold. Comfortable with farce and confrontation and with subtle adjustments of voice and bearing, the Guyana-born actress transforms herself easily from a precocious seven-year-old to an arthritic grandmother to a swashbuckling porkknocker.
The classically trained Griffith has been busy. In May, 2013, she brought audiences out of their seats at the centre stage at the Southampton Cultural Centre on Long Island, NY, in a supporting role in “Buckingham”, a period piece by Tina Andrews about slavery and African bloodlines in British royalty. In June 2013, she performed excerpts from Demerara Gold at Soho Playhouse in New York City. In April 2014, she drew raves for her performance at the John Jay College Black Box Theatre as Mama Nadi, the lead character in “Ruined”, a play by Lynn Nottage about brothel women in war-torn Congo.
But there is nothing like seeing an actress like Griffith tell her own story through the words of a range of characters on a bare stage. Griffith, with the help of her director, Margit Edwards, sheds a bright light on the personal price of assimilation. And with her agility and artistry, Griffith brings Demerara Gold to its dramatic heights and heart-pounding conclusion.
The first airing of the show will be held at the New Amsterdam Multilateral School on Thursday January 15, 2015 at 10:30 hours and the following day at the Lichas Hall, Linden, also starting at 10:30 hours. Both shows will target mainly school children.
And then on Saturday January 17, 2015, at 20:00 hours, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport through the National School of Theatre Arts and Drama will present Demerara Gold and Pandora’s Box (performed by the National Theatre Arts Company) at the National Cultural Centre.
On Sunday January 18, 2015, at 18:30 hours Demerara Gold will head to the Theatre Guild as a presentation of GEMS Theatre Productions, while a final show will again be held at the National Cultural Centre on Monday January 19, 2015, also targeting school children.
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