JCDC Looking to Add Stand-Up Comedy to Annual Festival

Residents of St. Thomas, St. Catherine, and Kingston and St. Andrew, who wish to develop or improve their skills in stand-up comedy, are invited to attend a workshop on November 3, at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre, 36 Hope Road, St. Andrew.

The workshop is being staged by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) as part of its mandate to unearth and develop the creative talents of Jamaicans.

Popular comedian Owen ‘Blakka’ Ellis will conduct the session, which will get under way at 8:30 a.m.

Regional Manager for the JCDC’s Eastern Region, David Reid, told JIS News that stand-up comedy is a new area that is being added to the speech segment of the annual Festival of the Performing Arts.

“We know how Jamaicans love to give jokes, but then to get them onstage and to really develop that craft… that is where we are going with this. We want to push it to give them the rudiments of stand-up comedy,” he said.

In addition to stand-up comedy, other workshops are being held daily from October 20 to December 2 in the areas of Music, Speech, Drama, Dance, Traditional Folk Forms, and Culinary Arts.

Sessions for St. Catherine, and Kingston and St. Andrew will cost $2,000 per person per day, while in St. Thomas the cost is $1,500. This includes meals and resource materials.

Meanwhile, the culinary arts workshops, to take place at the Ranny Williams centre on November 10 and 11, will be free to the public.

Home economics teachers, Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) personnel and members of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs are invited to attend the sessions, which will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day.

“It will help you not only in the competition but also in your personal life. Our culinary arts are geared to improving the lives of persons in terms of nutrition and the foods that they prepare and eat,” Mr. Reid said.

According to Mr. Reid, the workshops aim to improve the craft of performers as well as those entering the performing arts competitions for the first time.

“While we are focusing on the teachers and the group leaders, we are saying that just about any Jamaican can attend the workshops. We have individuals who have entered the festival who are not attached to any institution or group,” he said.

For additional information on the workshops, persons can contact the JCDC Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Office located at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre, or call 960-7725.