Thursday, January 26 2012

The charge by Minister of the Arts and Multiculturalism Winston Peters that Calypso tents need to start acting more like a business, raises not only the issue of State sponsorship of the Arts, but whether there is a need for hotels and entertainment centres to develop a marketing strategy to attract regional and international tourists to hear Calypsos and view allied art forms, such as the limbo, on a year round basis.

Peters has advanced for years managers of Calypso tents have been approaching Government for subventions to defray operational costs, because ticket sales along with private sector sponsorship have not been enough to meet these costs. In addition, the managers have pointed out that Calypso tents do not attract as many fans as they once did.

A crucial question which has to be posed is how come these managers have not developed the required marketing strategy to encourage more patrons, especially tourists, to attend their shows? What have they done to structure improvements at premises at which they operate so as to give these places a distinctive cultural entertainment centre look?

Understandably, tents would seek to maintain old traditions as far as possible, nonetheless times and the expectations and demands of customers have changed. In turn, it is about time they appreciated they need a great deal more today than lyrics, music and a good voice.

Perhaps, we should look at two areas of the Arts, generally, New York’s Broadway and neighbouring Barbados, which are relevant or, indeed, among those that are relevant. The decline of Broadway, long acclaimed as the Arts capital of the Americas resulted in the rise of public and subscription theatres. In turn, despite Peters’ dismissive attitude to Calypso tent managers whom, he protested, had approached the Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism for subventions to defray costs of operations, many theatres in the United States receive regular financial aid both from the Federal and State Governments.

In Barbados, the more popular, regular shows are subsidised by the Government in a bid to assist them in providing high quality performances for the tourists and at the same time generate needed, additional foreign exchange earnings.

Meanwhile, government in Trinidad and Tobago, as an institution, long ago tacitly accepted a share of the responsibility for the development of the Arts here, through the establishment of Queen’s Hall; the taking over and running of the Carnival shows at the Queen’s Park Savannah and the introduction of Panorama. Much later, indeed recently, there would be the construction in Port-of-Spain, in the old Princes Building grounds, of the National Academy for the Performing Arts [NAPA], and SAPA in San Fernando. In all of these institutions there was and is a built in subsidy or grant from public funds to keep admissions fees relative low for the Arts loving public.

Calypso, the major art form in Trinidad and Tobago, is tied to the once a year Carnival. Unfortunately, the Calypso season which in former years began on the first week day after New Year’s Day, today sees Calypso tents opening some two to three weeks later.

Additionally, Soca and Chutney Soca shows compete with them for audiences.

Perhaps one way of making the major Calypso tents economically viable is to have them operate from and as part of the programmes of entertainment centres in the regional visitor season moving into the regular international tourist season, from the start of July to the middle of April. This would be in addition to their regular pre-Carnival shows. There should be provision for a not inconsiderable portion of the guests to be seated at tables, at which dinner would be served. Such Calypso shows, properly marketed, and having allied performances, for example, limbo dancing in which visitors are asked to participate would, in addition to attracting increasing audiences, generate additional employment, greater revenue and foreign exchange earnings.