Creighton decries lack of interest in Theatre Arts in academia

Apr 24, 2025 News

Kaieteur News- Director of the National School of Theatre Arts and Drama (NSTAD), Al Creighton, has expressed concern over the limited recognition and support for theatre arts and traditional Guyanese culture within the academic sphere.

Creighton decries lack of interest in Theatre Arts in academia

UNESCO’s Head of Cultural Programmes, Yuri Peshkov

Creighton made the remarks during the Guyana National Commission for UNESCO’s workshop on the Ratification of the 2003 Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage, held at the Herdmanston Lodge on Wednesday. The three-day workshop is being facilitated by UNESCO’s Global Expert, David Brown, and aims to enhance efforts to safeguard Guyana’s intangible cultural heritage.

In his address, Creighton stressed the urgent need to revive traditional Guyanese practices and elevate the status of theatre arts in schools. He emphasised that Guyanese traditions are dying among the youth. “We are facing major threats, and these have faced major threats over recent times. Some of these threats have come from what some would regard as the more progressive developments in modern society,” he explained.

“One of the main tasks that faces this particular attempt at preservation is catching the attention and catching the imagination of the youth. We have to get that attention in order to halt the march of the disappearance of so many items of cultural heritage,” Creighton stated.

While acknowledging the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate’s (CSEC) inclusion of Theatre Arts as a subject, Creighton lamented its lack of traction among stakeholders. “In introducing, for example, a subject known as theatre arts in the whole range of subjects taught by students in the secondary schools, the theatre arts programme in these schools, I’m afraid, has not won great approval from stakeholders. I mean, parents, teachers, students, school administrators, and so on. The importance of the theatre arts subject does not seem to be totally grasped by the general population. I would imagine if you mention the subject theatre arts against chemistry or against history, you’re not going to get a response that sees these as three equal subjects in the academic arena,” Creighton explained.

However, he acknowledged the intellectual and cultural demands of the subject, which includes intense research and putting cultural forms into performing arts. He explained, “One example of this is the ring games. And the ring games become important because we are dealing with something that is fading away. I really don’t know whether children in Guyana still go out and practice these ring games, but they do represent a part of the cultural heritage that seems to be fading away.”

Creighton also pointed that the use of social media and technology can further obstruct Guyana’s cultural heritage, stating, “Technology, the technological age, the new alternative sources, particularly the very powerful social media, have had a devastating effect upon the survival of intangible cultural heritage in Guyana, and clearly in other parts of the Caribbean and the world.”

In an interview with Kaieteur News, Creighton outlined what steps the education sector could take to reverse this trend: “The government could make sure that the schools put it in the regular timetable, so they can provide time and secure spaces where classes and performances can be held. Some schools don’t have a room they can use to conduct these things.”

He further noted that such recognition of the subject also requires a change in societal perceptions. “The other thing is not so easily achieved, which is to change people’s mindsets, that theatre arts is equal to chemistry as an academic subject, and that students should be encouraged to do it,” Creighton explained.

Meanwhile, UNESCO’s head of cultural programmes, Yuri Peshkov, commended the workshop and emphasised the critical role education plays in preserving Caribbean heritage. “The 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage recommends the importance of being careful of the driver of cultural diversity in the world that we live in.”

He said special emphasis lies in the educational protection of Caribbean heritage, as they play an important role in the conduct of safeguarding, maintenance, and recreation of the intangible.

Peshkov added that the potential ratification of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention is a critical step forward in acknowledging the importance of safeguarding this precious heritage on a national level and thereby contributing to advancing national sustainable development.

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