THE END of the month will also herald the end of Perverse Tuesday nights at Weekenz on Constant Spring Road. With its end there will be a lull in the staging of poetry events at the venue, which has been almost a staple Tuesday night event since the opening of Weekenz, which will celebrate its three-year anniversary on October 17, 2005.
Perverse, organised by Earth Woman Productions, was the third incarnation of poetry events at Weekenz. Indeed, the Tuesday night stagings preceded the Weekenz as it had also been a feature of the Harry's Bar, which had existed in the same space earlier.
"Psychologically, it has been very profitable because it offered a space where poets who wouldn't normally get a chance on stage get a voice," said Cherry Natural of Earth Woman Productions. She noted, however, that the venture has not been remotely profitable financially.
WEEKLY EVENTS
As such, she declared that Earth Woman Productions is not interested in continuing to stage weekly events. Natural explained that a part of the problem with staging a weekly event is consistently finding high-calibre talent. "It's a very small level of poets who are established that way that an audience would come and see them," she said. "Most of them are young and vibrant and just want a buss."
Perverse will have its final grand slam poetry competition on October 25, 2005 with four finalists - Joseph Current, Finnas, African Pride and Natalie Bailey. These four are first and second-place winners of two nights of Slam competitions which took place over the summer. Though Natural pointed out that poet and audience turnout exceeded those of regular nights, the numbers suggest that the competition generated less interest than the first attempt at a Jamaican slam competition a few years ago.
Nonetheless, Winston Watkis, bar manager at Weekenz, explained that the venue remains committed to the idea of holding poetry events. Even so, since October 1, Weekenz no longer stages its own events but is only available for rental. "We're still focusing on live entertainment, but to be honest, this kind of economy needs some kind of cash cow," Watkis said. He explained that the venue offers a full package, including venue, bar and restaurant, to promoters.
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
He remarked that though the venue would like to feature live entertainment, many would-be promoters are only interested in promoting 'hype parties'. He further explained that in the current economic climate, promotions are being pushed by the young whose vision is locked on this kind of entertainment.
He argued that there are not enough people who are willing to be different. "I think persons are scared now of investing in entertainment," he said. "You can't do it just for your health anymore," he said, noting that producing events is too expensive to be tackled as anything other than a money-making venture.
- Tanya Batson-Savage
