This year's main theater event will be 'Tales and Legends of Guyana' to be staged the National Cultural Centre. We expect well over 30 deaf performers to be on stage for this production, with dance and drama items developed and performed by members of Guyana's Deaf community from 3 different regions. It will be a step-up from last year's performance 'Deaf Got Talent 2011' as we are continuously striving to strengthen our organizational capacity. We particularly look forward to the input of Shawna and Nicola, who are now undergoing training in DIRECTING, COSTUME and MAKE-UP at the MERUNDOI workshops at Theater Guild. They will be part of the team/s that will stage a series of one-act plays later on this year. We also will have help from 'outside': Jessica Willoughby from Gallaudet University/Washington will spend 8 weeks with us during July/August. Jessica is an experienced deaf 'drama person' and during a 4-week workshop at David Rose School and on-going work with the adults she will set the benchmark for this year's performance. New Amsterdam will get the support of a Peace Corps Response Volunteer who will be with DiG for nine months. This was initiated by Jillian Johnson and very grateful we are to her.
In Sport the big excitement this
year will be the launching of a national deaf sports programme and an annual
National Deaf Sports Day. Through Glenyss James from the Commonwealth Youth Programme we are now on (or very close to being on) Ttaspe's 'to do list' and we intend to stay there. Their programs focus on the under 12 age group - so it's perfect for getting a sports program going in the schools with deaf classrooms. The bigger kids will fall in - and the out-of school youths and adults will not want to be left out. We are looking forward to exciting school competitions. In the meantime we have registered Levan Rodney for the 5th PANAM games for the Deaf, to be held in Sao Paulo, where he will compete in the 300 and 400 meter event.