Queen's Hall's Garden Theatre to help build cultural tourism

The Queen's Hall Garden Theatre – an outdoor performance space ­– was launched on November 12 and Queen's Hall's chairman Dr Helmer Hilwig sees many possibilities for the space, including building cultural tourism.

The Garden Theatre can seat 50-60 people bistro style (like a Parisian-style restaurant). The space can also hold 200 people theatre-style or 100 people in a banquet style for an event, its general manager Garfield George said in e-mail responses to Newsday.

It has a surround-sound speaker system; stage lighting with ambient LED lighting; a performance stage; in-house bar; overhead high-level canopy; wooden, bistro-style seating; outdoor concrete banquette seating under the trees; sculptured art figurines; wood-patterned stamp concrete flooring; landscaped foliage planters and gold-accented waterfall fountain statement signage ideal for selfies and photos, George said.

He added that Queen's Hall "embraced the opportunity to create a dinner theatre venue that will satisfy an entertainment-starved public. Patrons can enjoy indigenous cuisine and cocktails prepared by in-house caterers while viewing performances."

It will provide "an assortment of experiences," including live contemporary performances, local art, storytelling and indigenous cocktails and cuisine.

Hilwig said in a phone interview with Newsday that the garden theatre was constructed during the pandemic year (2020).

Hilwig is a doctor, but also heavily involved in the arts. He was born in the Netherlands and came to TT in 1983, before which he did a lot of theatre in Holland.

For him, the refurbished Queen's Hall is a "fantastic theatre" but when it opens at 7 pm and closes at 11 pm, it does not open for another 24 hours.

This was not capitalising on Queen's Hall's wonderful space.

"I always thought a space like that...it is not only beautiful, but has beautiful grounds, beautiful trees. Why can't we have, like most theatres in Europe, (the idea) that a theatre is a meeting space and an artistic space which starts in the morning and continues in the night?"

That was when the idea of a garden theatre came into being. With the construction of the garden theatre, Queen's Hall's full potential is utilised, he said.

"If you, for example, go to buy a ticket, then you can make it an outing. You buy a ticket and you say to yourself, 'Let me take a coffee in the bar of the garden theatre,' and when you're there, you say, 'Let me take a snack.' And when you're there there is, coincidentally, a lunch concert going on..."

Hilwig has a broad vision for the space, saying it can also be used for things like exhibitions for emerging artists. He said George picked up the idea straight away.

"He used the time – although we were closed for that year – to build the garden theatre. A garden theatre that can be a theatre cafe, you can do lectures, fashion shows. Since it is cheaper than renting the Queen's Hall, also up-and-coming artists who might not draw an audience the size of Queen's Hall, can at least do an audience to fill the maximum 200 space over there."

Playwrights can even write plays that would fit within the garden theatre, Hilwig said, meaning that their script can be crafted to fit within the outdoor surroundings.

He said in Holland it was popular to have "coffee concerts" on Sundays.

"So people go to church and after church, they want to take some coffee or something. What they did in Holland was that after church there would be a kind of coffee concert. So I am thinking that is also a piece of audience you can attract to the garden theatre."

The possibilities of the garden theatre are endless for Hilwig.

He said the hall is taking some bookings, but it is not running quickly.

For George, the garden theatre will provide opportunities for artistes not only to showcase their talents but also earn an income.

"While there are numerous entertainment spaces, most are one-dimensional. The distinctive feature will be the triple service mix – live entertainment, local art and indigenous cuisine," he said.

The garden theatre falls within Queen's Hall's objective to establish it as one of the "magnificent facilities" encircling the Queen's Park Savannah.

George believes the opening of the garden theatre can help the struggling arts and entertainment sectors which have been dealt the worst blow by the covid19 pandemic. He said it is one of the few performance spaces authorised by the Ministry of Health as a safe zone for performances.

"Visitors can look forward to an immersive theatre experience, including stand-up performances, improvisational theatre, interactive/participatory theatre. Our audience will be encouraged to, in some ways, play a role of an actual character or converse with the actors and interact with their surroundings. Immersion of the audience in the drama is a key factor of this new venue," George added.

Not only will it showcase different genres of entertainment including live vocals, film, dance, drama, Carnival-related arts and stand-up performances but Queen’s Hall will also host its own signature events covering all genres of entertainment.

There are also plans to rent the facility to people interested in hosting private events like weddings, brunches and/or fashion shows.

The Garden Theatre will be open daily from 3-11 pm and guests will be able to access an online calendar of events and make table reservations through the online portal on Queen's Hall website, George said.

He added producers having shows in the auditorium will also have the option of adding a dinner-inclusive package so that patrons can enjoy a meal before, during or after their productions.

As a safe zone, all of the theatre's patrons, performers and producers must be fully vaccinated or in possession of a medical certificate, George said.

Queen's Hall has strict covid19 protocols for events and all attendees are required to follow the three "Ws" – washing hands, wearing masks and watching social distance.