The National Cultural Centre, the premier auditorium for cultural presentations in
Georgetown,
Guyana
Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
. It is on Homestretch Avenue, in D’Urban Park (south of the
Botanical Gardens
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...
). It hosts theatre, music, and dance as well as other events.
It rises , is long and wide, and seats about 2,000 people. Its stage is deep with an orchestra pit, and has a and opening. The centre is decorated with a
chandelier
A chandelier (; also known as girandole, candelabra lamp, or least commonly suspended lights) is a branched ornamental light fixture designed to be mounted on ceilings or walls. Chandeliers are often ornate, and normally use incandescent li ...
made of local woods over the main staircase, and a
Denis Williams
Denis Williams (1 February 1923 – 28 June 1998)Petamber Persaud"The Life and Work of Denis Williams (1923–1998), The Shaping of Guyanese Literature" ''Guyana Times International'', 23 November 2012. was a Guyanese painter, author and arc ...
mural, entitled ''Memorabilia 11''.
After the destruction of the Assembly Rooms, the auditoriums of
Queen's College and
St Rose's High School were mainly used for major cultural presentations. The idea of establishing a National Cultural Centre can be traced back to 1951 when a foundation stone was laid on the site that now houses the
Bank of Guyana
The Bank of Guyana (BoG) is the central bank of Guyana. It was established in 1965 in advance of the country's independence in 1966. Dr. Gobind Ganga has been the governor of BoG since December 2014.
Bank logo
The Bank's logo is divided into fou ...
building. The decision to erect the Centre was made early in 1971 and Guyanese architects were invited to submit designs for the building in a competition held that year. From the four entries received, the design submitted by
Norris Mitchell Associates
Norris or Noris may refer to:
Places In Canada
*Norris, Ontario, in Algoma District
In the United Kingdom
*Hampstead Norreys (or Norris), Berkshire
In the United States
* Norris, Illinois
* Norris, Missouri
* Norris, Nebraska
* Norr ...
was selected.
It was unfinished by 1972, when Guyana hosted the Caribbean Festival Creative Arts (
Carifesta Caribbean Festival of Arts, commonly known as CARIFESTA, is an annual festival for promoting arts of the Caribbean with a different country hosting the event each year. It was started to provide a venue to "depict the life of the people of the Regio ...
), but the unfinished structure was used anyway, with the aid of three large canvas tents to complete the roofing, and coconut palm fronts as walls. The
Jamaica National Ballet
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispan ...
was the first group to perform there, as part of Carifesta 72.
The centre was officially opened on 16 May 1976.
The centre received sound system upgrades in 2019
It houses the National Drama School, and hosted the National Drama Festival until 2017.
[{{Cite web, date=2020-04-19, title=Prohibitive costs have led to decline in theatre productions, url=https://www.stabroeknews.com/2020/04/19/sunday/arts-on-sunday/prohibitive-costs-have-led-to-decline-in-theatre-productions/, access-date=2021-02-15, website=Stabroek News, language=en-US]
References
Buildings and structures in Georgetown, Guyana
Event venues established in 1976