Rudolph Ottley, manager of the all-female calypso tent–Divas Calypso Cabaret International–is today criticising the national executive of the Trinbago Unified Calypsonian Organisation (Tuco) for failing to adopt and effect modern strategies to ensure that calypso tents remain both viable and profitable. He slammed Tuco president Eric Taylor (Pink Panther) for applying old methods to treat new problems plaguing the calypso art form year-round, but especially at Carnival. Ottley said presentations at almost every calypso tent were reduced to being "rudimentary," "predictable" and ultimately painful for patrons.
He's convinced that Tuco is using the same old handbook to carry out its affairs, and would consequently take calypso to its grave.
Ottley's remarks were in direct response to Taylor's comments in the T&T Guardian, where he outlined his mission to rejuvenate failing calypso tents. In that interview, Taylor advanced radical changes to spruce up programmes packaged for public consumption, starting with the six tents it owns and operates across the country. These tents, which survive primarily on State aide, are: Kaiso House, managed by Tuco's central executive; Klassic Ruso, Tuco north zone; Kaiso Karavan, eastern region; Kaiso Showcase, south/central zone; and, Magnificent Glow and Super Liner tents in Tobago.
The three independent tents are: The Icons Calypso Tent, operated by Weston Rawlins (Cro Cro); Calypso Revue, managed by Michael Osuna (Sugar Aloes) and Divas Calypso Cabaret International. Osuna is the only self-reliant tent promoter with whom Taylor had discussed the issue at the time of the interview. Taylor called on tent promoters to limit the number of acts on nightly performance rosters and to ensure that only the creme de la creme of the lot earned rightful places in the spotlight. Conscious that Carnival, and more specifically, the tent scene, serves as crucial bread basket for most practitioners of this indigenous art form, Taylor still wanted entertainers with weak material to be honest and step aside for the best bards to be heard by talent scouts, to ensure more enjoyable productions were staged.
He objected to the tradition of having 30-plus calypsonians perform on one night, which led to shows going beyond midnight, in this climate of increasing crime. This, along with false encores, must be stopped, he said. Taylor said there have been too many advances in entertainment for calypsonians to still bring presentations that bordered on the historic and, were worst of all, obvious. Taylor wants calypsonians to put some pizzazz in their appearance and start by employing image consultants, while tent managers go modern in the execution of their productions. But Ottley felt Taylor's utterances amounted to nothing more than talk.
He said if Taylor wanted to help failing calypso tents, he should convene closed-door sessions with tent managers to chart a credible way forward. Sponsorship was also high on Ottley's list of priorities. "We must first ask if tents have outlived their usefulness or if shows need to be redesigned. "Tuco need not have six tents. I call that cultural Cepep. "They change leaders, but follow the same programme. Tuco must get the State to sponsor all tents," he added. In response, Taylor, laughed and said: "It is very interesting to hear Mr Ottley say that Tuco has no need for six tents, when it was he (Ottley), in his duties as marketing manager of Tuco, who had responsibilities for the establishment of these tents."