Sir Ian Valz, outstanding Guyanese and Caribbean playwright and dramatist passed last night in St. Marten.
The Guyana Tri-State Alliance, Inc join with the Caribbean Cultural community in mourning the loss of this outstanding playwright and dramatist
His movie Panman, Rhythms of the Palms.-won awards at the Brooklyn Int'l Festival and top honors in the narrative feature film category of the 2008 Hollywood Black Film Festival (HBFF).
Guyanese would remember "House of Pressure", radio serial drama which was also staged at the National Cultural Centre and "Two's A Crowd".
Sir Ian Valz, was knighted in 2006 by the order of Oranje Nassau, Her Majesty, Queen Beatrix of Holland. Ian was born in Guyana and from a very young age mesmerized audiences with his stage performances, capturing the attention of Soap Opera fans who were glued to their radios to listen to his hit serial “House of Pressure.”
Over the years, Ian Valz, produced winning plays like Masquerade, which was nominated for the Guyana Prize for literature in 1992. A passage to the Sun, Virgin In Black, The Peacock Dance, Separate Status, Breaking all the Rules and Breakfast@Oranje, are examples of his brilliant writings.
A master of his craft Valz directed over 60 plays and acted in over 30. He held the position of Sports and Cultural Director in Guyana, and later became the Drama Director at the Cultural Center in St. Martin, where he created, The Teenage Age Acting Company, for youth of that country.
Ian Valz was also the host and producer of a thrice a week talk show on PJD2, titled - In the Backyard - a community service program which offered a voice to everyone who may want to promote something positive.
Note: Mr. Drepaul taught Ian Valz at Queen's College. Ian was a contemporary of Mr. Taylor at QC.
