The Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Culture confirmed Friday that the new National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) will need about $20 million for repairs.Junia Regrello was responding to claims by artistes that the new centre that cost nearly half a billion dollars would need $80 million in repairs.
Regrello said the money is needed to correct problems with the lighting and the floors. He said the $20 million will be enough to attend to everything that needs fixing to get the facility properly functioning and going.
He made the comments after his first tour of the facility, which was opened in November last year.
"It is fantastic. I am saying that as someone who has performed in the Royal Albert Hall, I am sold.” Regrello told reporters. "I admit there are grey areas that need to be worked out.
I know for a fact we have to change the flooring. It is laminate,” Regrello said as he appealed to the population to be “patient and give us time to work it out.”
Rubadiri Victor, interim President of the Artists’ Coalition of T&T has claimed there had not been adequate stakeholder consultation. He told reporters on Thursday the centre has conceptual, technical and programming flaws.
Regrello also explained why the National Chutney Council was denied use of the centre for a global chutney event. “NAPA is not the ideal venue for tassa, chutney and parang,” he said.
He defended his minister who was reported as saying that NAPA was not for events such as the chutney show.
“What the Minister really meant is NAPA is not the space for that. It is infectious. People respond to that kind of music with a real amount of energy, vivacity and joie-de-vivre."
He noted that the Minister had also denied Pan Trinbago the request to stage Champs In Concert there, too.
“She never meant it as any disrespect. But merely she wanted to keep it upscale... keep it to a certain type of entertainment. We may even have to upgrade a Best Village show to bring it in here,” he said.
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