Work on Desperadoes Pan Theatre completed

WORK on the Desperadoes Pan Theatre has been completed, the Urban Development Corporation (Udecott) confirmed via e-mail on Wednesday afternoon. Udecott was responsible for the theatre’s construction.

The corporation did not give an official opening date but Newsday understands this may take place in mid-April. The $14 million theatre on George Street will feature seating, the panyard, a main commercial building and a car park.

The band was temporarily relocated at Tragarete Road. It was moved in 2015 from Laventille because of space and safety concerns.

The band’s general manager Kwesi Moore said there are a number of plans in place for the space including developing it into a year-round performance zone in collaboration with MusicTT, and partnering with The Roy Cape Foundation to expand its youth music programme.

Moore said it still has to meet with MusicTT but he wants the year-round performance zone to not only be specific to pan, but to encourage the area's youth interested in music, to perform there.

Desperadoes is currently in discussion with The Roy Cape Foundation to expand the programme into more than just pan.

"That is instrumental because Roy Cape has been an instrumental part of Desperadoes' legacy and history, being the one that brought in, in the early days, our winning Panorama arrangers: Beverly Griffith and Clive Bradley. He is significantly intertwined in the organisation and we are glad to be able to partner with him to bring the youth of the area and of Laventille, more specifically, as that is his main focus, to music and these different musical instruments.

"All of these are plans for the George Street panyard," he said.

In an earlier interview, Moore said the band was thrilled to finally be able to call some place home. He added, "Even though we will always consider Laventille as our birth place and our home, but a permanent place to settle for commercial activity and for rehearsals, is good, and we look forward to that coming to pass soon,” Moore said.

The band has won the Panorama large band title 12 times.

Moore said the band has a tenders committee in place receiving proposals from people interested in renting the commercial spaces. Band members will be given preference for the rental of those spaces.

The Prime Minister turned the sod for the theatre’s construction in August 2021. Dr Rowley announced plans for the pan theatre in 2020.

MP for Port of Spain South Keith Scotland said he was very excited about the project and was very grateful for it. He said he was acutely aware of what pan and the arts mean to TT.

“This is a monumental move by the Government of TT to show that it backs up what it says by placing resources into culture, resources into institutions that will only benefit of the society as a whole,” Scotland said.